


White Flames

by heXified



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Anxiety, Arguing, Blood Loss, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Depressed Okumura Rin, Depression, Dialogue Heavy, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Feelings Realization, Fights, Friends to Lovers, Heavy Angst, Injury, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mutual Pining, Night Terrors, Okumura Rin's Tail, Panic Attacks, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Doubt, Self-Sacrifice, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, This might hurt a little, Verbal Abuse, Yukio is an asshole
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:02:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29704467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heXified/pseuds/heXified
Summary: (Takes place INSTEAD of the Kyoto Arc) Rin struggles with a mental block that leads to the inability to access of all his powers, and he keeps it a secret until it backlashes. While Yukio only makes things worse, Bon tries everything to keep Rin within his grasp.
Relationships: Okumura Rin/Suguro "Bon" Ryuuji
Comments: 4
Kudos: 79





	1. Noticeable Changes

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be shocked if anyone actually reads this, I've just been dying to write again and I've had this idea for two weeks now. It's been about three years since I've last written so bear with me. This is also my first fic on AO3 and I'm still getting used to it.
> 
> I really want to drag this story out to enjoy it myself so I'll be posting a few different chapters. The idea only goes to the climax so after that I'll be spitballing. 
> 
> Everyone knows what Rin is, Yukio feels immense stress and pressure--unfortunately he uses Rin to take it out on, unintentionally--and Bon is the only one who seems to really care for the half-demon, aside from Shura. Maybe it's because he feels something no one else does.
> 
> Rin is 17, Bon is 18. They're a bit more mature than canon, and Rin is more determined and less of a cheeky dumbass. He actually lets things get into his head sometimes.

These last few weeks have been some of the toughest days for Okumura. Ever since this all started, Rin’s mental health had been heading down a steady decline, and no one around him seemed to really care. But then, why would they? The entire world was against him, even his own brother seemed intimidated and afraid of him.

The small, helpless little brother Rin once knew when they were young, the crybaby who always looked up to his big sibling for almost everything, had disappeared before he knew it. Those memories seemed almost as if they were in a past life now. Yukio was always pushing Rin, scolding him just for his nature. Yukio seemed to remind Rin at least once a day that he would take him out himself if Rin had done anything irreversible.

The two brothers grew distant throughout the school year, their small talks in their shared dorm had been replaced with a deafening silence over time.

Despite what seemed like a tear in their relationship, Rin knew his brother still cared for him. Yukio swore to protect him. At least, that was his original intention when he became an exorcist, although now it seems more like he only did it to keep his brother from causing trouble. As if he was dedicating himself to making sure Rin was always separate from the rest of the world. Even though Rin tried ever so hard to keep a cheerful smile up for the both of them, each reminder of reality was a sharp pang of every wrong emotion to the half demon’s heart.

The situation with his brother wasn’t even the half of it. The Grigori was always breathing down his neck, aware of his every move. Shura used to always be with him, but she’s loosened the leash a little, and they only meet a few times a day while a large portion of that time was just for training.

Speaking of, Shura had been pushing him harder the last few days due to a certain problem Rin has been dealing with. So far, Shura was the only one who even knew about it—about his inability to open Kurikara. It blocked his demonic powers, so he had no flames for the time being. He’s been this way for three days now. 

“You’re too slow Rin! Geez, even with a light wooden sword you can’t get a single hit close to me.” Shura pursed her lips in a sense of pride, yet major disappointment in her pupil. Rin stood a few feet away from the older female, hands unsteadily gripping the base of the wooden katana. His feet were shoulder-width apart, still holding a fighting stance despite just being pushed back by his opponent. His breath fell heavy from his lips, panting hard and quite loud from being so winded in their sparring. His wrists trembled, the motion carrying through to the very tip of the wooden sword, visible all the way to Shura.

“The bags under your eyes must be weighing you down, slowpoke. Didn’t I send you off early yesterday so you could get more rest?” She asked, the end of her sentence nearly becoming a shout in slight anger. Her magenta eyes narrowed sharply as they focused on the exwire before her. She was aware of his unusually pale appearance, and the dark bags under his turquoise eyes have been apparent for the last few days, seemingly worse each time they meet. He didn’t seem to be improving in any way—physical nor mental. It almost hurt for her to have to push him like this, but she knew no other way. At least she was a lot more sympathetic than Yukio, and she truly knew Rin’s limits.

“I did,” Rin started, huffing out as he raised his head, the shadow from his dark hair covering the majority of his eyes as he looked forward “I slept for nearly 9 hours! At least..” he paused, looking down again as he finally relaxed his stance and lowered his sword. “I thought I did.” He mumbled, trying to remember anything from last night. He could vaguely remember flashbacks in a sort of nightmare, but the memories were all fuzzy. He just felt like he hasn’t slept in weeks.

As Rin got lost in his thoughts, Shura tilted forward out of curiosity since she didn’t hear his little mumble. She furrowed her brows, assuming he ended up goofing off instead of actually resting. His body looked like a mess, as if Rin wasn’t already underweight enough, it seemed his thin body could barely keep itself up at this point. She wouldn’t admit it, but she was worried. She knew for a fact Yukio was doing nothing to help this either.

“You rascal! I bet you stayed up reading manga, didn’t you!?” She lurched forward, locking her bare arm around Rin’s slim neck. A large tuft of fur waved around on the tip of his tail behind him as he nearly lost his balance when she grabbed him. He scoffed and grabbed her arm and growled out of frustration, but the two of them were only messing around.

“I did not! I just keep havin—”

“Yeah, yeah! I don’t wanna hear your dumb excuse. You still owe me two more rounds of sparring, so don’t slack off just yet.” She said, razzing his hair and messing up the already untamed black mess on his head before she let go. He stumbled to the side, straightening his shirt and sighing softly. He had to blink a few times to get rid of a certain blurriness that seemed to keep coming back, but he didn’t give it a second thought, instead just brushing it off for lack of sleep.

“Right. It’s almost two o’clock, and I promised a friend I’d eat lunch with them. So, let’s finish this!” He said, forcing a smile to his lips as he clenched the sword once more. The muscles in his arms cried out when he tightened them, but he ignored it and pushed through, doing what he knew best, which was forcing himself. He was well aware of his physical state, and that it was heavily damaged by his mental state. But as to why he was getting worse was a mystery to even himself. Both him and Shura assumed his weakened state was due to his inability to draw Kurikara and that it somehow strained him by locking up his powers, so by training harder they worked to strengthen his body without the use of any flames or powers.

Though, this mental block Rin was going through seemed to lead on much deeper than either of them could have imagined.

Round two of their sparring match began when Shura lurched towards Rin. He barely had his stance ready, and all he could do in the milliseconds between her attack was brace himself. A hard grunt left the male’s lips as his shoes scraped against the cement, the blunt force of Shura’s wooden sword pushing him back once again. He held his ground as best he could, holding the katana up against hers until he could slip away and twist himself around, aiming a blow to her side where she was open. He bared his teeth when she disappeared before his eyes, somehow maneuvering around behind him to send her elbow straight into his back. He let out a choked yelp and stumbled forward, nearly collapsing as he barely had the strength to catch his own weight. Although delayed, he managed to spin around and hold up his guard once more.

Their attacks dragged on, back and forth between the both of them. Although Shura was the only one really attacking, Rin was doing well enough just blocking or evading the majority of them. He’d end up with quite a few bruises tomorrow due to Shura’s lack of holding her punches, but he tried to keep up. Their match carried on for roughly 12 minutes before Rin started to gradually lose his ground. His breath was heavy once again, his knees were almost visibly buckling under his hips and his wrists ached just trying to hold the wooden sword up. Beads of sweat rolled down his chin and his black hair covered his dull-glowing blue eyes. He slouched down when Shura had jumped back, taking a second to stop attacking.

“Hey Rin, keep your eyes open. We’re not done yet, so come at me!” She shouted at him, hoping the level of her voice would wake him up a bit and encourage him, but the poor kid barely seemed like he knew where he even was anymore. Amongst the utter silence during the time when Shura went quiet waiting for a response, the room was only filled with the sounds of Rin’s hot, heavy breath and unhealthy wheezing. Okumura reluctantly gripped the sword with the last of his strength and struggled to swallow through his desert of a throat. He took one step forward, pushing his legs out into a charge against his opponent, but didn’t make it two steps before completely collapsing onto the cold cement. The last thing he saw on his way down—even if it was blurry and in two—was a worried expression on Shura’s face as he hit the ground with a painful _thud._

“Rin! Hey, wake up! Rin..!” Shura called out, but her voice faded out along with Rin’s blurred vision. With that, their match ended, and training was over for the day.

Rin’s world was quiet and black for an unknown amount of time. When he started to come to, his eyes were reluctant to open at all. His eyelids were beyond heavy, and he felt like he needed to sleep for a whole decade, if it were possible. He groaned ever so softly as he lifted his hand up from what felt like under a warm blanket. He brought the hand to his face and rubbed his eyes, eventually able to recognize his surroundings despite his head being so hazy.

He could tell he was in his dorm room in his bed, someone had brought him here and even put him into bed. As he tried to recollect his thoughts, he realized someone else was in the room. Aside from Kuro who was curled up at his feet snoring softly, someone sat in his desk chair, facing him in the bed. He blinked a few times until his tired eyes focused on the figure, and found himself staring at his classmate, Ryuuji.

As he was about to speak, he froze, his mind trying to wrap around everything from the last few hours up until this moment. He noticed how Bon was sitting in the chair—arms folded over the top as he sat backwards in it, legs spread around the sides and leaning his chin into his arms as a cushion. His eyes were closed and he didn’t seem to realize Rin had woken up, thankfully, since he was now staring at the boy. He looked peaceful, probably in a light sleep himself. That made Rin wonder, how long has he been here? The position he’s resting in, did he fall asleep while watching Rin sleep? Okumura shuddered at the gentle thought, feeling a pit in his stomach, but one that churned with a fuzzy feeling like a swarm of untamed butterflies. He glanced over at Yukio’s side of the room, not surprised to see it vacant. He found himself glad that Yukio wasn’t here. He didn’t want to be lectured or used as a stress reliever for a second time today. Snapping out of his never-ending thoughts, Rin managed to finally speak out.

“Bon..?” He called out softly, his voice raspy and dry. He didn’t realize the lack of saliva in his mouth until he actually opened it. He watched his classmate stir and open his eyes at the slightest sound of his voice. Realizing Rin was awake, he now sat up straight with a small stretch of his torso and gave Okumura his full, conscious attention.

“Good, you’re awake.” He said plainly, his voice low and almost sounding as if he was angry about something. It took Okumura another moment to remember that he collapsed during training, meaning he never met up with Bon for lunch. Earlier today after class Bon had said he wanted to talk about something so they agreed to meet up, but of course Rin had to screw that up too. Whatever Bon had been planning to talk about seemed important, but now Rin would probably never hear it.

“Lunch! Shit, I’m sorry...” He sighed and rubbed his face, genuinely feeling guilty about ditching Bon like that, his only classmate who seemed to actually give a damn about him. With his head still down, he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position in bed, wincing softly at the aches throughout his body. That seemed a bit odd, considering Rin would normally heal up after training, and that included aches and bruises. But of course, he already knew something was really off. His body must’ve been so exhausted he was overall just wasted. 

“Don’t worry about it. I didn’t wait more than ten minutes anyway. Figured you forgot, so I went to look for you. Ended up running into Miss Kirigakure instead. She was carrying you to your dorm.” The male explained slowly but still with a sense of frustration as he twisted himself in the chair, bringing both his legs to one side so he could lean into the back of it properly. He looked away from Rin after explaining, his deep brown eyes landing on Kuro instead. He seemed pretty upset about something, and a lot more stubborn and tense than he usually was.

“She carried you herself, claiming you only weigh about 120 pounds. The bags under your eyes, pale skin, you look like shit, Okumura. You gonna tell me what the hell’s goin’ on with you?” He now stared down at Rin with focused, narrowed eyes after finishing his sentence with a concerned, stressed-out sigh. He was definitely serious, almost in a way that made Rin’s stomach churn a different way than before. Bon was angry because he _cared_ about Okumura, all differences aside. The others continued to avoid him over the past two months, no one sat beside him in class or at lunch, and Rin knew exactly why.

They were afraid.

But Bon, he wasn’t. He made an effort to actually visit him, and seeing as he was here when he woke up, he probably stayed to watch over him.

“I..” Rin started, keeping his gaze down once more and gripping the sheets in his palms. They began to tremble at the slightest call to his strength, reluctant to comply. “I’m fine, really. I’ve just been training a lot more, so don’t worry ‘bout me, ‘kay?” He spoke, the slightest tremble in his voice showing through no matter how hard Rin tried to hide it. He forced a smile to finish off his words, looking up at Bon with that cheerful look, only it didn’t look the same as it used to. He was so tired, and his body failed to even work with him anymore.

Bon didn’t seem to buy it either. His sharp stare burned a hole through Rin’s façade. But, he didn’t press on with it. He crossed his muscular arms over his tough figure and let his eyes trace over Rin. He looked especially thin compared to when they first met about a year ago. A weight loss like this over a few weeks couldn’t be healthy, and it wasn’t like him to not eat considering he loved cooking. But seeing how Rin has been acting, was it maybe that Rin gave that up too?

Okumura believed no one noticed these changes, but Bon always had a close eye on his classmates, _especially_ Rin. Considering his bloodline everyone has been steering clear of him, but Bon was nothing short of curious and concerned. He kept Rin in check from a distance. He could tell right away when his mood declined, and his personality began to dip. The naps in class from lack of interest started becoming lack of sleep and energy. He wasn’t nearly as cheerful and talkative, even though Rin said that was only because he didn’t want his presence to intimidate the other classmates. It was hard enough with how his own thoughts were starting to weigh him down, so the tension in the room never helped.

“Fine, don’t tell me. But I know it has something to do with your flames, considering we haven’t seen them in a while.” He muttered loudly, referring to Rin’s typical “flare-ups” when he’d lose control of his emotion and the blue flames always made themselves present. It’s been a solid week since anyone’s seen that frightful shade of blue. Of course it was possible Rin was just gaining better control over them, but with his personality it was bound to happen more often, and it was odd that it hasn’t.

It really seemed like Bon was trying to get Rin to confess about some sort of illness with the way he described it like an eating disorder. None of it made sense to him, and Rin had trouble understanding it himself. The whole reason as to why he couldn’t draw Kurikara, he knew it was because of how he’s been feeling and thinking, but the toll it’s taken on his physical body was a different mystery. Stress and one's look on oneself could destroy the whole person.

“Bon, I just—” Rin began to speak, immediately cut off by the other male.

“I brought you lunch. So, just try to eat and regain your strength. You’ll need it.” He said shallowly as he stood from the chair and grabbed a bento box from the desk. Rin looked up at him almost in disbelief. Kuro finally began to stir at the mention of food and uncurled himself from the foot of Rin’s bed, stretching out his paws and letting go of a large yawn.

“Oh, thanks. I’ll just—” Rin spoke with slight joy, beginning to push off the blanket from his legs to get up and take the food from Bon, but the second he even tried to shift his weight to his feet his body rejected the decision. His knees buckled and he headed straight to the floor with a soft gasp, only to be caught by a pair of stronger, tanned arms.

“I didn’t say get up, you idiot! Lay back down.” Bon demanded the smaller male, gripping his shoulders firmly but not too hard, feeling like he’d break the fragile kid. He gently pushed Rin back into bed, encouraging him to stay down.

“You’re in no shape to be moving yet, you passed out from exhaustion only two hours ago.” He said, finally admitting how long it’s been and that he’s been here the whole time. Rin stopped trying to go against him and just looked up into those deep brown eyes; eyes with wide pupils and such a concerned stare.

“You…have you really been here the whole time?” Rin asked as his face lit up, his hands still resting on Bon’s arms which were still holding Okumura up, since he didn’t pull back yet. Though, the second Bon registered what Rin asked him he pulled away and stepped back, sighing frustratedly. He felt a rush of warmth flood into his face as he looked away.

“Well, yeah, someone had to keep an eye on you, dumbass.” He scoffed, turning over towards the desk where he originally left the bento box before dropping it to help Rin. He grabbed it once more and handed it over to the other male, watching the small black cat-like familiar curl up into a ball once more beside Rin’s thigh. Okumura chuckled softly, loud enough to where Bon could hear it clearly. He looked down at the bento box in his hands and smiled warmly, the first genuine smile he’s had all week. A warmth gathered in his chest and he swore he could feel a bit of his strength come back.

“Thanks, man. I really appreciate the company.” Rin said with such a genuine smile Bon couldn’t help to look away from. That smile, that expression, it’s what Bon has been wanting to see for a while. That short moment was enough to give both boys a flutter in their chests, a type of feeling they both shared for each other but refused to admit.

“Right, well don’t get the wrong idea. Anyways, I better get going. Shima and Koneko don’t know I’m visiting you, and I’d like to keep it that way for now.” Bon explained while grabbing his uniform jacket from the desk, pulling it on over his loose button up.

“Hey Bon, uh—the others, are they…?” Rin asked with a soft tone, not even needing to finish his sentence. Bon knew exactly what he was asking.

“Yeah, they’re still avoiding you. It’s dumb, but I don’t want them feeling betrayed so don’t go telling them you and I are buddy-buddy, got it?” He looked down at the bed for a response. There was a silent short pause, but Rin nodded in confirmation. He understood, Koneko was especially terrified of Rin, but he knew how much Bon cared for them. He was more than glad Bon was doing any of this for him in the first place. Even something as small as a greeting would make him happy, but right now, Bon was really carrying his spirits.

“Oh, and Mr. Okumura won’t be back for a few hours, you better rest up while you can. He’s in a meeting for some sort of emergency mission. My guess is we’ll be part of it tomorrow. So rest up, yeah?” He explained with his gaze looming over the neater half of the dorm room before he looked back down at Rin, a small smirk pinned to his lips. Rin couldn’t help but to return the smile.

“I will. Thanks again for the lunch! See you soon?” He asked with a hopeful raise of his brows. Bon nodded back as he headed towards the door of his dorm room.

“See you soon.”


	2. A New Danger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A night terror disrupts Rin's sleep and it's up to Yukio to comfort him. Yukio gives the exwires a rundown of their mission on how they'll be exorcising an upper level demon on an far away island. Bon explains why he trusts Rin so much and insists on being around him, gaining his loyalty and encouraging Rin to be himself again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That one kid in their class with the hand puppet--yeah he's not in this, I literally forgot he existed. Also, I keep shortening Miwa Konekomaru's name to just Koneko. Sorry haha, Japanese names really confuse me.

Various voices echoed around Okumura and his blurred vision. He couldn’t make out what they were saying, but each one had an echo to it, making his head spin throughout the scattered conversations. His sensitive ears could hear the chatter from however far away it seemed to be, but he couldn’t make out a single word.

_“Pathetic child,”_ A deep, all-too-familiar voice echoed out, booming louder than any other voice he heard, but he couldn’t pinpoint where it came from.

_“You cannot deny what you are.”_ There it was again, this time sounding like it was in his own head. Rin could feel his heart rate instinctively spike, the unsteady beating of it growing louder and almost painful against his eardrums as it increased with pure fear.

“Dad…?”

No, it definitely wasn’t Shiro.

“Silence, Spawn of Satan!” A new voice shouted, bouncing off the large nonexistent walls of wherever Rin appeared to be. His attention was yanked forward to the location of the voice, colors blending into view from his blurry eyes to reveal the colors pink, blue, and green from left to right in that very order.

Rin knew what those colors were even just after one encounter, and he didn’t need to see it in focus to tell what it was. What _they_ were.

_The Grigori._

Fear really began to take over as Rin could feel adrenaline rushing through every vein in his slim body. There was a sharp numbness to it, and only now was he able to register that he couldn’t move. He was weighed down by various chains and his hands pulled back behind himself where he couldn’t see. He couldn’t tell by what either, he only knew that it was heavy and cold, and that he was on his knees in the great hall he once visited for his trial.

_“This little rejection of yours won’t last, boy! Just embrace it already!”_ The voice resumed once more, growing angrily each time it spoke out. He knew who exactly it belonged to now.

“No! I refuse! All my powers are good for is harming and scaring everyone around me! Everyone’s turned into my fucking _enemy_!” Rin shouted at the very top of his lungs, feeling the volume of his voice rip against his throat, leaving him with a lingering pain in the back of it.

There seemed to be a long pause after Rin shouted out, but the chitter chatter from the whispering voices only continued. It was almost as if no one could even hear him.

“Rin Okumura, Son of Satan! We condemn you to death, rightful to your bloodline!” The person in the various blue layers of cloaks and high-class silver and gold jewelry shouted out loud, causing the sudden stop of all the chatter and side conversations around him.

Rin was frozen in shock and fear, his heart sunk straight down into his stomach and suddenly he felt like he couldn’t breathe. His chest ached and his lungs suddenly refused to accept any incoming air.

“No…Please, no! I haven’t done anything! Don’t do this!” Rin began to beg, feeling himself lean forward in an attempt to move only to be yanked back by an unmerciful fist grabbing onto his hair. Fingers encased in a white silk glove twisted around his somewhat long-black locks painfully. He grunted hard and bared his fangs, feeling a lump swell in his throat as his eyes blurred once again, but this time due to tears building up.

He panicked and looked around frantically, following the white sleeve up from the arm holding his head back and forcing his neck into an open, unguarded position. He grit his teeth as his breathing became known to himself it became so loud and broken up. Tears completely filled his eyes before he could see who was holding onto his hair and exposing his neck, but a long, metallic weapon reflected light into his face as it came into his view.

A sword, sharp as any, lining up to come clashing down onto his pale neck.

“N-No, please…I-I don’t—" the half-demon choked out his last few words, his body trembling endlessly instead of fighting to break free anymore.

“You’d be better off dead.” A voice had spoken through Rin’s incredibly loud heartbeat. All went silent, and even Rin froze after hearing those words.

It was Yukio.

Without warning, the wide blade came barreling down onto Rin’s bare neck, yet the pain he felt the strongest was in the pit of his stomach like the wind had been knocked straight out of him. The emotional pain was agonizing, and it was all he felt as opposed to a stinging numbness that radiated from where the blade supposedly met his skin.

_“Rin! Rin, please wake up!”_ A small, quiet voice cried out from what sounded like a totally different realm.

And suddenly, Rin’s ears were ringing deafeningly loud. The only thing he could hear begin to fade in past the steady sound was his own blood-curdling scream ripping through his throat and bouncing back from the walls of his own dorm room.

As soon as Rin stopped, he took a deep, exasperated breath in despite the incredible achiness. He panted hard from his empty and sore lungs, realizing he was sitting up in bed, an arm outstretched in front of himself as if trying to grab something, anything. His body trembled, a cold sweat covered his extremely pale skin, and tears flooded through his dilated eyes, making reality just as blurry as what he woke up from a moment ago.

His jaw remained open as his shaky breath pushed past his teeth and fangs in short pants. His arm fell limp onto the bedsheets and his tense body began to shake even harder as he fully registered that he was awake, and the shock was in full effect.

Kuro was continuously pawing at Rin’s thigh, concerned eyes staring straight up at the rather shaken half-demon. Rin had barely noticed the feline who was apparently trying to wake him up since he started muttering in his sleep.

“Rin!” Loud, quick footsteps rumbled against the old wooden floor as Yukio rushed over to Rin’s side of the room, almost stumbling from hurriedly getting out of his own bed, thrashing against his own bedsheets in the process.

“What happened, are you okay!?” Rin’s younger brother asked in a panic of his own as he kneeled down beside Rin’s bed, grabbing his shoulder semi-tightly. The 17-year-old hadn’t even put on his glasses after being startled awake by Rin’s scream, but the one thing he did grab was his loaded gun, his finger hovering just over the trigger. Only, it was down to his side, serving only to protect Rin and himself after being awoken by that spine-chilling sound.

Rin, still shaken up from the night terror he just awoke from, slowly looked to the side at his brother. He blinked rapidly, trying to dismiss the tears from his eyes to focus on his little brother with the small amount of light shining in through the windows by the bright moon.

“Y-Yuk..io?” he said ever so softly, the one word broken up by the uncontrollable panicked breathing. After having just heard his own brother tell him he was better off dead, it was taboo to see him so concerned at his side right now. He sucked in as much air as he could in an attempt to gather himself, but as he exhaled it only broke up into an uncontrolled sob. Okumura lost it, his face twisting in gut-wrenching sadness as tears streamed down his pale cheeks, plopping down onto the bedsheets in his lap.

Yukio stared at his brother; his brows curled up in an expression that of only worry. He felt his own heart begin to sink as he saw his sibling like this. It was the third time this month he’s woken up like this, and each time it only felt worse to watch. It was getting more frequent, too. As Rin broke down Yukio could tell he was still in a state of shock from whatever he just woke up from.

The younger male gently set his gun on Rin’s desk before he sat on the side of the bed after Kuro scurried to the side to make room for him. He reached his arms out and grabbed Rin’s shoulders, slowly pulling him into his own chest and hugging the poor kid.

“I’m here, Rin. Just breathe...” He said softly, beginning to rub the other’s back. Rin reached his trembling hands up to grab Yukio’s back, his fingers clenching onto the fabric of Yukio’s shirt and twisting it into the palms of his hands. He leaned into his brother and dropped his head into his neck, sobbing out loud.

Yukio closed his eyes and tried not to listen to the helpless whines that fell from Rin’s lips between his labored cries. He knew this had to hurt on a physical level, he almost felt it himself. With that in mind, he figured Rin wouldn’t fully remember this the next time he woke up. The shock after a night terror always left his mind in a haze. And honestly, it was for the best.

The next time Rin had woken up, it was already past 10 AM. The half-demon sat up from his bed slowly, eyes open and seeing clearly once again. His mind felt like it was in a numbing haze, and there wasn’t a single thought behind his eyes.

_“Riiinn!”_ Kuro called out from his spot on Rin’s bed, just now closing his jaws after a big yawn. He walked up onto his lap and looked up at the young male, trying to read his face. There was a moment of silence as Rin looked down, using a hand to rub his eyes and wipe the tiredness from his face.

“Hey, Kuro. G’morning.” He said softly with a warm smile, his mind fully awake now. He reached a hand forward and gently nudged the feline’s chin, watching Kuro close his eyes as he nudged Rin back, a low purr rumbling from his throat and onto Rin’s fingers.

_“Are you feeling okay now?”_ The familiar asked, earning a somewhat confused expression from Rin. He lowered his hand from the two-tailed cat and instead brought his hand to the back of his neck and rubbed at the cool skin.

“Yeah, a lot better actually. I think I finally got some decent rest.” He flashed a bright smile, glad to not feel so heavy and weighed down by his own body anymore.

_“Good! ‘Cause I’m starving!”_ Kuro chirped and stood up on his tiny paws, those two little tails twirling behind his small body. Rin chuckled softly at his actions.

“Okay, I’ll cook for us, but I need a shower first.” He declared, watching Kuro side stop off his legs as he brought them out from the blanket and towards the floor. He inhaled deeply, remembering about yesterday and Bon came to visit him. Specifically the moment when Bon caught him from nearly collapsing out of bed. He remembered how his arms felt holding onto him, holding up his weight with such ease.

Okumura ended up staring down at the floor, recalling each little detail of the muscles on Bon’s tanned arms, finding himself wondering if his classmate worked out during his free time.

Before he knew it, Rin’s cheeks were flushing with warmth, the pale skin coated with a soft pink hue. He shook his head out of the flustering thoughts and pushed himself onto his feet, glad to see he can finally hold his own weight again.

It was only at this moment Rin noticed a small folded paper on Rin’s desk chair facing the bed. He raised a curious brow and reached out to the paper, opening it up. It was a note from Yukio.

It read:

_Rin, please take it easy today. Continue to rest if you must, Shura cancelled your training. I’d like you to attend a meeting with your classmates today at 1:30 PM concerning an upcoming mission. Do not be late. -Yukio_

“Damn, I guess Yukio found out I pushed myself yesterday. Obviously Boobzilla told him.” He sighed and shrugged his shoulders, rolling them out a little. He tossed the note onto his already messy desk and looked out the window. His tail swished around behind him, the little tuft of fur momentarily acting as a cat toy for Kuro as he started batting at it from the floor.

“A mission, huh?” a heavy sigh left the exwire’s lips, “I still can’t use Kurikara. How the hell am I gonna even help?” He muttered to himself and turned to the side, looking at the demon sword wrapped in a silk cover leaning up against his bed frame. He reached down and grabbed it, unwrapping it from it’s cover and revealing the infamous blue and silver design of the katana.

Rin’s eyes loomed over the design and landed on the handle, his hands grabbing both the handle and the sheath. As if trying to calm his mind, he took a second for himself then attempted to pull the blade from its cover, but of course it didn’t budge. Rin pulled harder, grunting as his arms trembled against the metal materials.

“Argh! Stupid sword, why won’t you open!?” Okumura tried again but to no avail. He let go of the handle in defeat and groaned. It was no use, the weapon wouldn’t budge.

It was even stranger knowing Rin hasn’t seen his own flames in roughly four days now. Kurikara acted as a bridge for his powers and demonic features, but his power isn’t necessarily sealed in the blade. He used to be able to use his flames without the sword having to be drawn, and it was so easy to lose control.

Yet here he was, the Son of Satan without his flames or any features relating him to the said demon lord. His small features that morphed into his human form like his ears, fangs, and tail were all he had. He still had his heightened senses of course, but he felt like any other mixed bloodline with the way he was right now.

Hours passed by as Rin enjoyed his Friday off. He showered and freshened up, cooked for himself—and Kuro—and even managed to catch up on some homework. Before he knew it, it was already 1:30 PM.

Okumura looked down at his slightly trembling hand as he reached for the doorknob of his cram school classroom. He hesitated, hoping the stares wouldn’t be so heavy when he walked in. Anxiety filled his chest, and he bit his lip trying to hold himself together.

It never bothered him in the past. In fact, it used to anger him. But this past year and a half things have changed for the worse. Rin no longer held his head so high.

With a deep breath, Rin twisted the doorknob and opened it up, walking into the room. He was met by five different pairs of eyes, all looking at him at once. Okumura swallowed the lump in his throat and masked his anxiety as he stepped towards his desk. It was an empty table in the front middle of the class where everyone could see. Shiemi now sat with Izumo and Bon remained with Shima and Konkeo.

Rin kept a small smile on his lips acting as if he wasn’t bothered and kept his gaze down for the most part, but the second it slipped up his eyes immediately landed on Bon, locking with his for a long second. A chill ran down his spine and he tensed, feeling some sort of tension in his chest. He clenched his fist and bit his lip to control whatever he just felt and forced himself to sit down at his desk. He set his bag on the floor and his sword leaning on the table from the side. He stared down, noticing Yukio wasn’t even here yet. Since when did Rin have trouble around Bon? He felt like he’d stutter if he even spoke to him.

“Hey Okumura, you feelin’ better? Heard you weren’t doin’ so hot.” Shima’s voice called out through the almost silent classroom, and Rin nearly flinched at it. He slowly brought his head up and turned to his left side, looking at Shima.

“Yeah, actually. I—” He paused, his eyes momentarily meeting with Koneko’s and Bon’s. Koneko’s gaze was filled with uncertainty while Bon’s had only worry. “I’m okay now, I just needed some rest.” He explained in a sort of white lie to the other male.

“That’s good, you had us worried man.” Shima smiled to the other, not nearly as bothered by Rin’s bloodline as other’s were. He was a careless guy in general, a comforting company to have around.

“I’m glad you’re okay Rin!” A higher-pitched voice called out from the other side of the room. Okumura turned to his right to see Shiemi standing up at her desk with her palms down on top of it.

_“Nii!”_ Shiemi’s little green familiar called out cheerfully, seemingly glad as well. Rin couldn’t help the genuine smile forming upon his lips. The soft look in his eyes melted away all the anxiety he walked in with. He was more than glad to realize his classmates really did care. Even if they were unsure about him, they were still his friends, and he almost forgot that. He let his insecurities get the better of him recently.

“Thanks guys. I really appreciate it.” He said in a cheeky smile that showed off his fangs. The same old fangs he’s had since before he met everyone.

“Okay everyone, we need to begin the briefing.” Yukio’s teacher voice called out to everyone as he walked in the door. Oddly enough, he was the one late this time. Though it was probably because he was talking to the other exorcists.

Everyone gave Yukio their full attention, excited and thrilled to hear about this ‘mission’ they were going on.

“Right. We’ll be flying over to Haimon, an Island just below the Japan region to exorcise an upper level demon. It’s possessed parts of the native forest over the past two months, harming civilians more recently. Only last week did it finally reveal itself.” Yukio explained, setting up his things along the desk. He grabbed a piece of chalk and began drawing on the board at the front of the class. The diagram he drew wasn’t all too bad, and it was somewhat easy to make out the features of the demon he was giving a visual to.

“This demon is about five meters tall, covered in plant growths with a kanju tree sprouting from its back. Its highest threat are spores on its sides that spit out an acid-like mud. We’ll be issuing all of you a jacket designed to resist the acidity, but it’s best for you to keep your distance. It can spray up to two meters away. It can also maneuver any plants around it up to ten meters away.” The young teacher set the chalk down after writing in kanji around the diagram, labeling its features.

“We’ll be meeting here tomorrow morning at 8 AM. You’ll have the rest of today to pack your things, say goodbyes or finish any homework. Keep in mind, Haimon is snowing right now. Please dress accordingly. Your specialized jackets and supplies will be handed out to you after the flight. Any questions?”

The class seemed quiet for the most part, taking in the details they were just given. They murmured softly amongst themselves, and a few questions were raised. The one question that all the students shared was how they were going to take the demon down.

“We’ll be splitting you up into assigned pairs based on your skills, almost like we did at the amusement park a few months ago. You’ll each be given a backpack with supplies to last two nights. This includes food, flares and first aid kits. Use the flares for emergencies only. If one of you gets hurts, the exorcists will find you to bring aid.” Yukio explained in full detail.

He seemed calm while he debriefed everyone, but even he was a little nervous. He as well as all other exorcists aside from Shura were unaware about Rin’s inability to draw Kurikara, so all he had on his mind was the mission and everything else that could possibly go wrong. Injuries were expected, as they were splitting up to cover ground in a large forest during a winter season, but he had faith in the class. It’s been a full year now and their skills have sharpened quite a bit.

It wasn’t Yukio’s plan to separate everyone into pairs, but it was the only option with the numbers they were able to deploy on the island. It was determined by how large the forest was but narrowed down by the sightings of where the demon has been.

“That’s it for the debriefing. Class is dismissed, please use this time to prepare for tomorrow.”

And with that, Yukio gathered his things, beginning to file through some papers. The class spoke among themselves. Shiemi spoke softly to Nii, a very good listener, and Izumo who really couldn’t care less.

Shima tried to make a joke, but Koneko only expressed his concerns about the dangers of them being deployed to exorcise an upper level demon. There had to be something more to this. It was either very dangerous, which is why they were being summoned out to Haimon to help, or it was easy, and they were the only ones exorcising it. The uncertainty wrecked Koneko’s nerves, as usual. Bon was the one to reassure his friends, claiming it was probably nothing and this was just another field day.

“You guys go on ahead, I gotta talk to Mr. Okumura ‘bout something.” Bon said to his two friends as they all stood from their desks. Shima shrugged and Koneko nodded, ushering him not to take too long so they could have time to study before they pack.

Shiemi and Izumo had already left, and the other two males left after them. Yukio was still at his podium scribbling on his work while Rin was taking his time getting his sword over his shoulder, just wanting to be the last one to leave.

“Hey, you got a minute?” Bon asked, looking down at his onyx-haired classmate. Even though Rin was already standing, there was a solid few inches between their height that caused him to look up. Bon held a height at 5’10’’ while Rin only stood at 5’6’’. Though Rin usually slouched, so the difference was even more dynamic.

“Yeah, whaddya need?” Rin replied as he grabbed his bag but remained at his desk. Bon glanced at Yukio who was still in the room.

“C’mon.” He said before grabbing Rin’s wrist gently and pulling him out of the classroom and into the endless hallway. Rin couldn’t help but to tense up as he looked down at the larger hand pulling him along. He looked at Yukio before they left the room, meeting those teal eyes behind the square glasses the very second before he left his sight.

Bon let go of Rin’s wrist as soon as they were out of the classroom, but he didn’t stop there. He kept walking, knowing Rin would follow by his side. And so he did.

“Are you really feeling better? You weren’t just saying that to calm our nerves, right?” Bon asked, really pushing into the subject. His eyes loomed over the half-demon walking at his side, both of their hands buried deep in their uniform pockets. Rin’s eyes looked up to meet Bon’s for a moment, and he noticed those little butterflies he felt from earlier weren’t so bothersome when it was only Bon around. He felt comfortable with Ryuuji.

“I really am. I slept for a while and managed to get most of my strength back, so at least I won’t collapse again. I’m better now, I swear.” Rin reassured the other male. Bon looked at him, seeing that genuine smile on his lips. He finally looked forward and let out a deep sigh, almost like he was holding his breath, and let it go in relief.

“Good, I’m glad.” Bon brought his hands from his pockets and raised them up behind his head, leaning his head into his palms as he walked. His bag remained on his shoulder comfortably, and a harmless silence grew between them as they walked.

“So, you’re really okay with this?” Rin asked, breaking the silence after a few minutes.

“With what?” The other said with a side glance.

“With me. Being friends with the Son of Satan and all?” The smaller male tilted his head, his insecurities still not letting him wrap his head around why Bon was being so nice after all this time resenting him.

They started off as complete enemies, lightning striking between them whenever they locked eyes. It was a constant competition for whatever reason. But after knowing each other for a year, they’ve let their walls down.

“Of course I am, dumbass.” Bon spat out, almost offended that Rin was still questioning his actions. “You’re not the one who killed all those people. Those flames, they may be _from_ Satan, but they’re yours. You…” Bon stopped in his tracks.

“You’re you, Rin. You have a whole personality that makes you human. I was never upset at you for having the damn powers, I was only pissed because you seriously kept that a secret for so long. For over half a damn year I didn’t even know who or what you really were.” Bon explained himself, his voice almost hushed but still echoing softly through the long hallway.

Rin stood there, hands hanging limp at his sides as he looked up into Bon’s deep brown eyes. He spoke with such passion, it was odd to hear coming from such a hotheaded, determined guy with such a usual stern expression.

“Suguro…” Rin nearly whispered his friend’s name for once, instead of the common nickname everyone uses. He could feel his heart beat calmly in his chest, his stomach feeling like it should be twisting in knots, but it was unusually calm right now.

“If you’re gonna tease me I don—” Bon started, suddenly cut off by arms wrapping around his torso. He looked down and saw Rin hugging him, his hair covering the majority of his face as well as Bon’s chest. He blinked for a few seconds, a little tense at first but slowly relaxed.

Bon slowly wrapped his arms around Okumura’s smaller torso, hugging him back. He could feel how thin he was, his figure wrapped in his own made him feel like he was protecting a fragile soul. In a way, he was. He was sure Rin lacked affection like this. As cheerful and playful he tried to be, Rin had no real outlet. Bon knew for a fact his relationship with Yukio was rough, so Rin probably couldn’t count on his brother for reassurance like this.

“Thank you. Seriously dude, I needed that.” Rin said softly as he began to pull away, regretful since the warmth from Bon’s chest was almost addicting. He felt Bon’s arms loosen and pull away as well when he stepped back.

“Yeah, yeah. Better get going, we gotta prepare for tomorrow.” Bon said, biting the inside of his lip. He could feel how warm his cheeks were getting and he couldn’t help but to feel a little flustered.

“Right, big day.” Rin nodded with his bright smile. Bon was the only one who brought that smile to his lips recently.

“Text me if you need anything. See ya.” Bon waved to the other, almost not wanting to part ways right after that little interaction, but they had to get ready.

“Yeah, bye.” Rin waved back, watching Bon leave through a different door than where Okumura took his route on. He headed back to his dorm, grabbing a suitcase he’d gotten for missions like this, and began to pack layers of clothes with some help from Kuro. Yukio said it was snowing out there. It’d be a big change compared to the weather out here where it was sunny and warmer since they were right by the coast.

Kuro hopped onto Rin’s suitcase once he zipped it shut, mewling at him.

_“I’m coming with!”_ he chirped at the half-demon. Rin chuckled at the small creature.

“Yeah, you are. I’ll need your help out there.”


	3. Welcome to Haimon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The class of exwires makes it to the island for their mission, and Rin makes a fatal discovery about his demonic powers.

Saturday morning rolled around pretty quick. The class of exwires had met up in their classroom around 8 AM like Yukio had asked the day before. Each of them had either a duffle bag or a suitcase packed with clothes and supplies for the trip.

There wasn’t much time for chatter in the classroom. Yukio, Shura, and one other exorcist who looked unfamiliar gathered by the podium and explained the process of getting to the island.

“The flight is around four hours. We’ll be boarding a small plane but it’s under the ownership of True Cross so it’s only going to be us and another squad of exorcists. There are no assigned seats but your class will be sitting in the front half. Ms. Kirigakure and I will accompany you at the front.”

“When we get there line up your bags in the designated area and get on. We’ll take roll call before we leave.” Shura said, hands on her hips.

Everyone was dressed in the first layer or two of clothes to prepare for the expected weather when they get there. Shura, of course, Still had her chest openly exposed like usual. At least this time she wore a low-cut tank top and real jeans. She had a fur-lined green coat for when they got there, but there was no way she’d be seen wearing it before they landed.

“Alright, everyone. Let’s head out.”

Around 9 AM everyone had boarded the plane safely and on time. The squad of exorcists from the Academy Yukio mentioned were seated in the back chatting quietly amongst themselves. Rin and his class had no idea who they were, but based on their uniforms and ages, they looked like a fairly new group of exorcists. They were in their early twenties, by the looks of it.

Rin had sat in the third row from the front, Kuro taking up the isle seat next to him while Rin sat at the window seat. Everyone had enough room to take up two seats for themselves, but Shima and Koneko were the only two sitting right beside each other. Shura and Yukio sat in the very first row across from each other, and Shura had already gotten herself comfortable.

While waiting for his brother to announce that they were going to leave, Rin occupied himself with his little familiar, holding up a tinsel green ball with a few strings attached to it. He waved it around and animated the small object to keep Kuro’s attention on it, and the small two-tailed creature leaned down before he jumped up and swatted at the strings, attempting to catch them. Rin had the cat doing little jumps and circles in the plane seat, giggling softly at the cute actions of the feline.

“Ouch, Kuro!” Rin flinched and dropped the toy, pulling his arm back.

_“Ah! Sorry, Rin! I got too excited…”_ the kitty whimpered, feeling guilty now. He put his paws up on the arm rest to peer closer at Rin’s little wound.

Rin looked at his forearm near his wrist at the scratch, watching blood bead up from the middle of the already red line. He smeared the blood away with his thumb and licked it off, so it didn’t make a mess, but didn’t take his eyes off the mark.

Something was wrong, it wasn’t healing like it normally should, considering he was half-demon.

“Huh? Why isn’t it…” he muttered, unable to finish the sentence as he looked closer. Something so small and simple like a clumsy cat scratch should’ve healed into a small pink line in under a minute. But Rin felt a stinging pain instead of a burning numbness.

_“Rin? Is it okay?”_ Kuro asked curiously, noticing the small red beads of blood that grew into the same spot once more.

It kept bleeding. It should’ve stopped already.

“I dunno. It’s not healing for some reason.”

“Hey, Rin!” A cheerful, high-pitched voice called out to the distracted male. Rin perked up at the voice and met eyes with his classmate, Shiemi. He lowered his arm and turned it over to hide the small mark as he responded to her.

“Oh, Shiemi! What’s up?” he asked, glancing over her figure, which was slightly bent down towards him and hovering over Kuro on the second seat. The blonde had a different outfit on, and for the first time ever, she was wearing pants. Wearing her kimono on a mission like this wasn’t an option, and since the girl's school uniform was a short pink skirt, that wasn’t an option either considering this island was snowing.

The class of exwires were permitted to not wear their usual uniforms, considering theirs weren’t made for weather like snow.

She was wearing a regular fitted pastel pink t-shirt and dark gray sweatpants, which were quite obviously not hers. Either they were borrowed from Izumo, or she went out shopping with polka-brow to get clothes suited for the next few days.

“I brought you something! I figured, since you haven’t really been acting yourself recently…” she said with a sense of sorrow in her tone. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small glass vial with a cork at the top and a tiny green plant inside of it. At a closer glance, it was a perfectly encased four-leaf clover.

“I-I wanted you to be safe on the mission! Since we’ll be in pairs, we won’t be able to work together as a class this time. It’s going to be dangerous! So here, please take it.” She held out the vial in her delicate hands. Rin looked down at it, a little surprised. It looked similar to the one Yukio kept on his desk at their dorm.

“Thanks! I’ll treasure it, and make sure to keep it with me.” Rin smiled brightly, taking the glass vial from her palms and looking closely at it. He kept the smile on his lips as he looked at the tiny plant. Kuro, as interested as he was had inched closer, and Rin lowered it to let him sniff it.

Shiemi smiled warmly at her friend, her pink cheeks as rose-like as ever. After a moment or two, she headed back to her seat, hoping the charm would help not only keep him safe, but lift his spirits.

Rin tucked the vial away into the front pocket of his jeans so he could keep it on his person. His eyes looked back down at the scratch on his arm from earlier, surprised to see it was still there. It was no longer bleeding, but his skin was now littered with a fresh, red scratch, and the pale skin around it was bright pink. His smile faded quickly, and a certain pang of worry settled into his chest.

Not only was he powerless without Kurikara, but now he was just as human as the others, morality wise. He was always so reckless with his body in battle, knowing that he could recover quick. It scared him knowing that he couldn’t take advantage of that anymore, or make even one risky move like that now. It could really mean the end for him.

“Okay everyone, take your seats. We’ll be taking off in just a few minutes. And please, try to keep it down.” Yukio said, using his teacher voice to make sure it reached back quite a few rows.

The doors closed up and the engine of the plane grew steadily louder. After the announcement from the young exorcist, everyone settled down and got into their chosen seats, putting on their belts. Rin buckled himself in after slipping on his dark blue hoodie so he could stay comfortable for the flight. Kuro made himself comfortable in his seat, curling up into a ball close to Rin since he couldn’t exactly wear a belt.

Nii looked up to Shiemi from the palms of her hands, giving her a soft squeal. She brought him up to her shoulder and leaned back, letting the friendly green demon sit on her shoulder and hold onto her hair.

Like Yukio had said, the plane took off after a short period of time, and just like that, the class was on their way to Haimon Island.

The four-hour flight didn’t feel all that long in the end. Rin kept himself occupied for the most part, burying his face in his manga for the first hour, then slipped on his headphones for the better half of the flight.

Looking out the window was peaceful for Rin. He’s only been on a plane twice before, and the view from above was always a fresh perspective. The clouds looked soft yet gathered together well like firm pillows. The ocean underneath them shimmered through the various layers of white fluffs, reflecting the sunlight right up to Rin’s window.

At some point, Rin fell into a light sleep while listening to his music. His head rested back on the firm headrest and his hands sat comfortably in his hoodie pockets. Sometime soon after that, Kuro curled up in his lap, keeping his thighs warm.

A small chatter amongst his classmates grew louder near the end of the flight, and it was loud enough to slip past his headphones and wake Rin from his light sleep. He pulled the headphones down to his neck and looked around, then out the window. The island was now within view and based on how low they were to the water, he assumed they were about to land.

Rin was right. The seatbelt sign popped up again like it did when they took off, and the next few minutes were a little rough as the plane came to a rigid landing on the water, docking by the harbor. The trees on the mountain and every bit of land in sight was coated in a thin layer of white. It looked pretty cold, but it looks like it hasn’t been snowing for very long.

By the time the plane docked and everyone had gotten off, it was already 1 PM. Yukio gathered everyone from the plane and told them to head towards the Inn to discuss the details before they get started.

Rin didn’t make it very far before someone grabbed the hoodie of his sweater and yanked him back.

“What the hell!?” He grunted and turned around, not very surprised to see it was Shura. Her hood was up and her hair was down, covering a portion of her infamous cleavage. This was the first time he’s ever seen her fully clothed.

“I need to talk to you moron. How’re the flames?”

Rin sighed, straightening out his hoodie and adjusted the strap of the Kurikara’s cover that went across his chest. Kuro was planted right at his feet, not going anywhere without him.

“Still noting. But I’m not as weak as before.” He stated, looking Shura right into her magenta eyes. He decided not to tell her about his little discovery on the plane. He wanted to be a part of this mission, and if he spilled the new truth there was no way she’d let him out there. He was already on thin ice.

“Alright. I’m not fond of you going out there without them and the sword, but I know you’re not helpless. Just please, use your head instead of your ass.” She scoffed, reaching a hand out and flicking his forehead. Rin flinched and scoffed right back at her, rubbing the spot under his hair.

“Yeah whatever. I don’t even know who my partner is yet, but I'm sure I’ll be fine.” He said with his nose up before turning around. Kuro pawed at his ankle, giving a small mewl that didn’t sound very happy. He bent down and picked him up, holding him in his forearm and against his chest, and Kuro happily nuzzled into the warmth. It looks like Kuro didn’t plan for it to be so cold.

“Didn’t I tell you’d it’d be snowing here? Why’re you complaining?” Rin muttered to the small creature he didn’t mind carrying.

Okumura grabbed his suitcase in the other hand and headed towards the Inn where everyone else disappeared to. Once inside, he walked over to where his other classmates were gathered and Yukio was already talking to them.

“Is everyone here?” He asked as he looked around. He spotted his brother join in from the back and move up to the side, taking a mental note that everyone made it inside.

“Alright everyone. Your extra luggage will stay here at the Inn. Take what you must in the backpacks we’ll give you, but don’t take too much. Listen up, I’m going to assign you into your pairs now.”

Rin looked around at the building, noticing some of the exorcists setting up some things on a large table behind Yukio. It was the backpacks and jackets he spoke about before. Looks like they were already packed with basic supplies.

“Moriyama, you’re with Renzou.”

A small _‘yes!’_ could be heard from the pink-haired male on the other side of Bon.

“Kamiki, you’re with Miwa. And Rin, you’re with Ryuuji.”

What? _Really?_

Rin looked over at Bon, his slightly wide eyes locking in with the other’s. Bon gave Okumura a small nod, and Rin just looked over at Yukio. He wasn’t entirely surprised, there weren’t many options considering how small their class was, but he genuinely though he’d get stuck with either Shiemi or Shura.

“Here, each of you take one of these. They’re assigned to you specifically so don’t go trading them.” Yukio said as he pulled out some folded up papers with names on them. He handed them out to each student, and they began to open it up. Rin let Kuro crawl up onto his shoulder and lay around his neck so he could use both hands to open up what looked to be a map.

“These are maps of your routes. The house-shaped mark is a small cabin we’ve located along the mountain. You’ll each have a different route with your partner, so you’ll be sharing one cabin between both of you. Be responsible.” He said with a heavy tone on that last part, pushing up his glasses.

“This cabin will be your safe house. You should be able to reach them before it gets dark. But keep in mind, it acts as a midpoint. On your way there you need to keep your guard up. Don’t forget we’re here to exercise an upper level demon. If at any point something goes wrong, use your flare gun. There are two in each bag. Shura, me, and any other exorcist nearby will try to find you. Remember, this isn’t anything like the training camp. This is _real_.” And with that, Yukio stepped aside to reveal the table to everyone else.

Koneko and Shima were talking amongst themselves, and by the looks of it Koneko was fretting again while Shima was gushing over getting paired with one of the girls.

The next fifteen minutes consisted of everyone gathering their things and getting ready. Everyone had put on the acid-resistant jackets that fit loosely over their layered clothes. The jackets were a light shade of green and one side buttoned across over the other. They were lightweight and for the most part, didn’t get in the way of anything, despite them being long enough to reach the back of Rin's knees.

Most of the exwires packed a few extra things into their provided backpacks from their own luggage and slipped them on. Once ready, they got into their pairs.

“Okumura, hey.” Bon’s voice called out gently as he put a hand on Rin’s shoulder from behind. Rin turned and looked up at the taller male with the two-toned hair, which was pulled back by a thin silver headband rather than the typical clip he uses in class.

“You ready to go? We better head out if we wanna make it to the cabin before dark. We’ve got the longest route.” He said, pointing to the open map in one of his hands. Rin glanced down at it, realizing he hasn’t even looked at it yet.

“Awe man, seriously?” The younger male groaned, looking at the purple dots that signified their assigned route up the mountain. The green and orange routes were apparently for the others, and both of them looked a lot shorter. Not to mention, they were farther away from theirs.

Rin sighed deeply but readied himself. With his jacket on, backpack on his back and his sword strapped over his shoulder, he seemed to have everything. Kuro was now at his feet rather than on his shoulders, since there was already too much going on.

“Alright, let’s get goin’ then. Oh—” Rin stopped after taking a single step forward, “Do you think you could hold Kuro for now? Just till we get to the cabin. His little brain didn’t bother to listen to me when I said there was gonna be snow.” He said with a soft chuckle, looking down at the cat-like creature who was pressed up against his ankle.

Bon looked down at the familiar and sighed himself. He wasn’t very fond of animals.

“Seriously? Just let him sit on your backpack.”

“Dude c’mon, he’s like eight pounds! Just carry him will ya?” Rin pleaded, trying to use some sort of puppy eyes on the taller male. It worked apparently, because Bon found himself squatting down with open arms, allowing Kuro to jump into them as he stood back up. He sighed once again, looking down at the small creature that nuzzled into the warmth of his arms. He wasn’t all that heavy and Bon would probably forget he’s even carrying the poor thing later on.

“Thanks a bunch. Let’s go!” Rin said with a small burst of energy. Bon was just glad to see him like this. Despite falling weak to his little request, he followed right behind his friend as they left the Inn, and a small, warm smile curled up onto the older male’s lips.

“Hey four-eyes, you really think it’s a good idea to pair those two up for this?” Shura asked as she nudged one of her arms into Yukio’s side. Annoyed, the young teacher chose not to look at her.

“I don’t see a problem. Haven’t you noticed they’re not at each other’s throats anymore? Besides, Ryuuji seems like the one person _wanting_ to be around my brother. Even I can’t wrap my head around it, but I know they’ll be just fine out there.”

“You sure got a lot of faith in ‘em, kid. Hope you’re right.”


	4. The Cabin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin and Bon share a moment together when they take shelter in their cabin for the night.

“Damn, this r-really sucks.” Rin spat out, stuttering through a hard shiver. His arms were wrapped around his torso hugging himself to keep as warm as possible as they treaded through the snow.

There was about 6 inches of snow around their shoes, and even though it was snowing lightly right now, it seemed to get thicker the farther they walked. And since they were making it up the steady incline, the air increasingly grew sharper, making each inhale bitter and painful.

“I’m sure exorcising the damn thing will be easier than the journey getting to it.” Bon muttered in response, for once blindly agreeing with the other male. They were both miserable at this point. It’s already been two and a half hours since they left, and they’ve only stopped to take one break during that time.

Rin tried his best to keep his complaints to a minimum, but the further they pressed on, the more exhausted he was getting.

Bon looked down at the small familiar he still held in his arms. Keeping his arms crossed against his chest like this kept himself warm, and holding Kuro in between only proved beneficial for the both of them. Surely Kuro would’ve been just fine walking with them, but after an hour or so it would be harmful to his tender paw pads.

“Doin’ okay, Kuro?” Bon murmured to the little guy, watching him look up from his little ball. He mewled softly, in a thankful way, and Bon found himself smiling softly. Even with two little horns and two unusual tails, Kuro looked like any other cat. Bon eventually took a liking to him, even if he couldn’t understand the demon talk like Rin.

From a few feet behind the two, Rin snickered quietly to himself. As quiet as Bon tried to be while speaking to Kuro, Rin’s demon hearing didn’t fail him, even through the snow crunching under their feet and the unforgiving bitter wind. He found it adorable how Bon continued to carry his familiar without complaining. He definitely had a soft spot, and Okumura found himself getting lost in his thoughts again.

He found himself wanting to know more about the other male. What he would do if he was around other animals, or even kids. Would his soft side come out again? Would he be kind and caring or would he try to keep up that tough façade? Eventually, Rin ended up wondering what kind of foods he liked, and the places he might be interested in visiting with him.

Another hour passed, and the three of them finally made it to their cabin. Time was nearing 7 PM already, and it was getting dark. Not to mention, the snow really started to pick up. The wind grew stronger and colder as they neared their safehouse, and the conditions were getting considerably tougher to travel in. Rin was wrong to complain before this had gotten worse.

“F-Fuck, Bon—” he called out, his teeth clattering uncontrollably. “Can we stop for a m-moment?” He asked, his feet eventually stopping anyways. He panted loudly, his warm breath coming out in small puffs, looking like tiny clouds before getting blown away by the wind. His legs were shaking, and he ended up leaning against a tree to catch his breath.

Bon wasn’t doing much better himself. He didn’t say anything when Rin asked if they could take a break, he didn’t even look back until he didn’t hear Rin’s footsteps anymore. He would’ve sighed if he wasn’t too busy trying to keep his warmth. He was also panting like Rin, but a little bit softer and less noticeable.

The larger male turned around and faced Rin, looking at him against the tree. He gnawed at his lip, finally letting himself stop after forcing his legs to keep moving through the snow that was now up to their ankles. Their backpacks, shoulders and heads were dusted with snow that stuck to their clothes and hair. Some of Bon’s hair had escaped the silver headband he was using and a few loose blonde and brown locks draped over his eyes.

“Kuro,” he whispered out, nudging the creature up to his shoulder. The black and white furball reluctantly crawled up, leaning into the back of his neck, and holding onto the backpack straps so he wouldn’t wobble or fall off as Bon walked over to Rin.

Okumura kept his head down, his eyes closed as he focused on his breathing. He wasn’t used to being so cold, and if he had his flames, he’d easily warm himself up. Hopefully Bon wasn’t questioning it, but again, Bon had his suspicions already.

“C’mon, we’re almost there…” Bon said in a hushed tone as he grabbed one of Rin’s arms and pulled it over his shoulder while his other arm wrapped around his waist under the backpack. Rin looked up at the other, not expecting Bon to even acknowledge him. In fact, he thought he’d snap at him for needing another break so soon. Thankful for the help, Rin leaned into him and nodded, beginning to walk again with some help from his friend.

The two boys made it to their cabin soon after. Their labored breathing and the snow giving under their shoes was all they could hear aside from the steady howl of the wind surrounding them. They didn’t say anything to each other until they made it inside, their heavy breathing all that could be heard in the new silence of the abandoned log cabin.

Bon let go of Rin who stumbled a little when he had to hold most of his own weight again. Kuro jumped off from Bon’s backpack and onto the wooden floor, shaking off the flakes of snow from his coat and trotting somewhere out of sight from them.

“You know,” Bon huffed, dropping his backpack by the couch in the middle of the main room, “Now would be a good time for those flames of yours…”

Rin dropped his bag on the couch, watching a puff of dust come up from under it when the area was disturbed. He tensed a little when Bon mentioned his flames, but the half-demon didn’t say a word. Instead, he just scoffed, grabbing the sword from his shoulder, and setting it down as well. He looked down at his hands which were covered by slick black fingerless gloves, and his fingers were all noticeably a light shade of purple.

“Shut up and get a match.” Rin mumbled to avoid the topic as he rubbed his hands together, walking over to the side of the fireplace where there laid a stack of firewood.

The cabin they were going to share seemed rather small and untouched. There was a stiff, dusty red couch in the middle of the room with a fireplace and provided wood. Behind the couch to the left of the front door was a small kitchen. There was a table and two chairs out in the middle of it. Straight ahead after walking in was two doors, one was a bathroom and the other was probably a bedroom. Everything had been covered in a thick layer of dust, and large cobwebs gathered at almost every dark cover of the place.

Okumura dropped the thick-cut logs into the fireplace, stepping back for Bon to drop a match into it. After a few minutes, the fire started to grow and engulf the wood in dull orange flames. Kuro immediately huddled by the fire, helping himself to the warmth.

Rin dropped to the floor on the old rug only a foot away from the fireplace and pulled his legs up into his chest. He was still shivering pretty hard and held his hands up against the welcoming flames to recollect his warmth.

Bon watched him, rubbing his hands together for a moment trying to do the same. He also had fingerless gloves on, but they were thicker and better built for this weather. He had a jacket over his own hoodie, and a shirt underneath. He had an extra layer on as opposed to Rin, who only wore a hoodie with a shirt underneath. No wonder he was much colder.

Ryuuji grabbed his bag and pulled it closer to the fireplace, dropping it by the wood. He pulled his jacket off and gently draped it over Okumura’s shoulders, meeting eyes with him for a moment.

“Heh, thanks.” Rin murmured and grabbed onto the sides of the cloth, pulling it closer. It was larger than his figure, and since it still held some of Bon’s body heat, it felt wonderful. He tilted his head to the side of his shoulder and closed his eyes, nuzzling into the collar of the jacket. It even smelled just like him. His nose was able to pick up the slightest bit of his scent even though it was the third layer he was wearing.

Bon walked back over to them with a blanket he found folded over by the table. He shook off the little bit of dust and laid it down behind them, then sat down with Rin, fairly close. There was a comfortable silence between them as the two scooted closer to each other, instinctively wanting to share their body heat.

It took a while for the two boys to get to a comfortable temperature again. Kuro had left his little spot by the fire when the flames grew large enough and put out enough heat. Instead, he curled up on the old burgundy couch behind the exwires and fell asleep in the corner. Rin had his eyes closed as he rested on Bon’s shoulder, still hugging the jacket he was given. His tail had uncurled itself from Rin’s torso under his hoodie when he was finally warm enough, and it laid at his side, but curled around his body on the floor.

Bon’s eyes were closed for a while, but eventually he just zoned off onto the bricks around the fireplace. His knees were up as well, and he had his arms crossed on top of them. His tired eyes glanced over at the small tuft of fur in front of Rin’s feet, watching it calmly twitch like a cat’s tail when it slept. He looked at Rin, seeing him remain in his light sleep, then reached a hand out to the appendage. He brushed his fingers along the black fur, shocked at just how soft it was. It was warm from the fire, and he felt like he was petting a cat with long silky fur.

He reached a little further, letting the knuckle of his index finger gently brush past the part of Rin’s tail with thinner fur, right before the tuft of fur began. He found himself in a small trance as he messed with the thing, eventually taking it into his palm and watching it begin to wrap around his wrist. He stopped moving his hand and wondered why it started to move like that. When he looked at Rin again, he froze—startled when he was met with tired but curious blue eyes looking right up at him.

“Got a fetish with my tail or something?” He asked in a cocky tone with a small smirk forming onto his lips. Bon was just letting Rin rest on his shoulder for a while, and it had gotten so quiet he assumed the younger male fell asleep. He may have been wrong about that assumption.

“What? Why the hell would you say _that?”_ Bon said, his own voice raised as he grew flustered. The tail pulled away from his arm and Bon sat up a bit, pushing his legs down as his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

“If you wanted to touch it, you could’ve just asked.” Rin said plainly, slowly pulling back from Bon’s shoulder and side where he’d been pressed up against for the past half hour or so. He folded his legs onto the floor and pressed his palms onto his crossed ankles, his long tail reaching up and starting to swish around in front of Bon’s face, the fur tickling his nose. Bon angrily swatted at it and grabbed the spot he was just touching so he could make the motions stop.

“O-Ouch!” Rin flinched and tensed up, his tail immediately stopping its movements. He looked up at Bon with a defensive glare, wanting his classmate to let go of his sensitive appendage.

“Stop wavin’ it around like that, it’s annoying!” Bon demanded before letting go. The tail immediately fell limp and laid by Rin’s thigh instead, twitching out of anger.

“Like I can help it? The thing’s got a mind of its own!”

“You totally made it move like that just now!”

“So what? You were touching it all weird!”

“I was just curious! I thought you were asleep and it was just sitting there twitching, so—argh!” Bon threw his hands up in defeat. The two hot-headed males argued about the dumbest thing, and the worst of it was that Rin was only messing around to get a rise out of the other, but it really ticked Bon off.

“If you thought I was sleeping then that’s just worse man!”

“Will you shut up already!? Your voice is ruining the moment like always!”

Rin’s tail stuck straight up, and it looks like Bon struck a nerve.

“Me!? You’re the one who—” Rin’s voice suddenly got cut off, and he couldn’t finish his sentence. His eyes went wide the second he realized that Bon had pressed his lips against his own. He felt Bon’s hand grip his chin somewhat tight to hold him in that spot for a moment, and as tense as Rin was, he relaxed into it, closing his eyes for the short time that the kiss lasted.

“Will you stop _yapping?”_ Bon said softly once he pulled away, still holding Rin’s jaw. Rin opened his eyes and stared at him, one corner of his mouth curling into a smirk. He grabbed Bon’s wrist and lowered it from his chin.

“You asshole.” Rin growled in return before suddenly leaning forward, pressing a hand into Bon’s chest to grip at his hoodie while the other grabbed the back of his neck, and this time he initiated the kiss.

Ryuuji grunted at the weight he suddenly had to hold up when Rin leaned into him. He pressed a hand behind himself into the floor, catching both of their weight so they didn’t fall back. His other arm wrapped around Rin’s back, his fingers pressing into the dip of Okumura’s lower back to hold onto him while their lips clashed. 

Rin shifted his hips a little so his hipbones weren’t digging into the hard floor but lifted them up so he could lean into Bon a bit more, purposely pressing their bodies together and forcing the other male hold him up.

Bon’s arm tightened around Rin’s lower back to support him, slipping further across until his fingers were gripping at his side, able to wrap his arm so far due to the difference in their body sizes. He was almost expecting Rin to writher into his lap on top of him with the movements he was making.

This little heated moment of theirs ended when Bon finally pulled away to get some air. Rin reluctantly let Ryuuji break the kiss, his low-lidded eyes gazing over his wet lips and eyes as he licked the shared saliva away from his own mouth, watching Bon pant softly.

“ _Fuck_ , your teeth are sharp…” The older male muttered, eyes open and looming down over Rin’s face. His eyes were partially covered by his hair, but with the glimmering light from the fireplace behind him, he could see a glint of light over those blue irises. He could also see the red hue dusting his cheeks, similar to his own face. Though based on how warm he felt, he knew his own face was a bit more red.

Rin didn’t say anything, but he had a goofy grin on his lips. His tail swished around behind his back, visible with the contrast of its dark colors against the orange flames behind him.

The two of them looked at each other, Rin upholding his dumb grin as Bon looked at him with furrowed brows. This was the moment they realized they’ve felt this way towards each other for a while now, and the silence between their gazes confirmed it.

“God, what am I gonna tell the others?” Bon muttered as he lowered his arm on the floor down which had begun to shake, and instead held them up on his elbow and forearm. They hadn’t moved away from each other, and Bon’s grip on Rin’s back didn’t even loosen up.

“Who said you have to tell them anything? This isn’t their business.” Rin said seriously, his eyes still taking in the features of Bon’s hair and face since they’ve never been this close before. His tail was quite animated behind himself, occasionally brushing up against Bon’s thigh.

Ryuuji glanced down at the appendage, which was probably reflecting how Rin was feeling emotionally. And from what he could tell, Okumura seemed pretty wound up and frisky.

“You know what? You’re right.”

“Damn straight I am…” Rin muttered with pride as he began to shift his position. He lifted his hips up from the side of Bon’s hips and felt Ryuuji’s arm reluctantly let him move around. Bon just watched as Rin lifted part of his weight onto his knees, still leaning over the other, and slipped a leg between Bon’s before completely laying on top of him.

Bon didn’t get to object before he felt Rin make himself comfortable on him, their bodies pressing together firmly. He felt his heart begin to increasingly bump against his chest, and he even felt Rin’s too. Oddly enough, the half-demon’s heartbeat was much slower than his own.

With their centers pressed against each other, Bon felt himself stiffen up as some new thoughts came rushing through his mind. Ones he didn’t know he should be going through with just yet.

He moved his elbow out from under himself and laid his back down completely, feeling the blood rush back through his fingertips. Neither of them spoke as Bon slipped both his arms around Okumura’s body and Rin moved the hand from Bon’s chest up to his cheek, cupping his face as he leaned down again.

They shared a certain silence as their lips met once more, initiating a slower, much calmer kiss.

Bon’s hands slithered along Rin’s back, one grabbing at his shoulder blade while the other lowered down further towards uncharted territory. After lifting the base of his hoodie up to reveal his waistband, his thumb met a certain stiff but warm, fuzzy appendage. It was the start of Rin’s tail, more specifically the thickest part of it.

Without a second thought for consequences, Bon wrapped his hand around it and squeezed ever so softly, his thumb running down the top of it along the direction of the fur.

Rin suddenly broke the kiss with a sharp gasp, his body tensing up and back arching down into Bon’s torso as an unexpected moan ripped through Rin’s throat, breaking the silence in the room. It startled Bon right away, but before he could remove his hand the tip of Rin’s tail wrapped around his wrist and yanked it away.

Okumura brought both his hands to Bon’s chest, using one to immediately grab his mouth in humiliation and cover it after letting out such a lewd sound like that. He felt a chill run down his spine after it and the look on his face was one Bon had never seen before. He was so flustered, cheeks flushed red and his squinted eyes almost watering. Bon stared at him in that short moment, his own ears starting to burn as he realized what he just did.

“You idiot, d-don’t touch there!” Rin scolded the male underneath him as he pulled his hand away from his mouth. His tail pulled itself back from Bon’s arm and he sat up, fully sitting in the larger male’s lap.

“Sorry! I wasn’t thinking, I didn’t mean to.” Bon apologized, pulling both his arms away from the smaller individual and propping himself up on his elbows again. Rin planted his palms on Bon’s chest, his thighs spread out to the sides so his legs were on either side of Bon’s hips.

“You totally meant to do that, didn’t you!?” Rin’s voice nearly cracked on the last two words. He didn’t really seem angry, just beyond flustered.

“I just apologized dumbass, it was an accident!”

“Tch, I don’t believe you.”


	5. Mission Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bon discovers Rin doesn't have his powers right when the demon they were hunting finds them. The exorcism becomes a battle for Rin's life after he protects Bon.  
> Mission, start.

A warm sunlight shined down into the main room of the cabin Rin and Bon occupied. The three of them were still huddled by the fire, which had burned out over an hour ago. It still radiated some warmth as the log’s burned the last of their embers, then fell into the piled up ash on the bottom.

With the cold overtaking the interior of the rickety building once more, Rin made an attempt to snatch any warmth he could. He shifted his position on the floor, Bon’s jacket from last night still wrapped around his torso over his own hoodie as he squirmed closer to the slightly larger male. Rin was at Bon’s side, an arm draped over Ryuuji’s chest. Bon’s head was supported with the softer part of his backpack while Rin used Bon’s shoulder as a pillow.

Feeling the smaller body move around against him, Bon started to wake up, his eyes opening and staring straight up at the wooden ceiling above them. The blanket Bon had found last night was messily covering the both of them, helping them stay warm.

Ryuuji brought a hand up to his face and rubbed at it, brushing the split-toned hair from his eyes before rubbing them too. He looked down at Rin, noticing that he was still asleep, breathing softly. He looked at peace, and Bon really didn’t want to wake him up. But based on the amount of sunlight shining through the windows, he knew they had to get going.

Cherishing the last bit of this moment before he spoiled it, Bon slipped a hand on Rin’s head, running his fingertips along his soft, deep blue locks. Thankfully this time, Rin was actually asleep.

“Okumura, wake up.” He said softly and used the same hand to shake Rin’s shoulder gently. Rin groaned, burying his face into Bon’s shoulder as he refused to wake up. Ryuuji sighed, figuring he’d be this stubborn.

“We have to get going, c’mon.”

“Five more minutes…” Rin muttered, his voice heavily muffled by Bon’s hoodie.

With a loud scoff, Bon began to sit up from the floor, forcing Rin to separate from him. Okumura finally opened his eyes and looked at the other male as he sat up too.

“I’m sure the others are already out there, so start getting ready.”

Reluctantly, Rin did as the other said. Kuro had gotten up from his spot and stretched after all the commotion, letting out a large yawn. Okumura sat there for a long minute, inevitably thinking about what happened last night, about how many times his lips were against Bon’s. There was no verbal confession of feelings, no love-dovey romantic talk. It was just the two hot-headed idiots making out. Rin wouldn’t have wanted it any other way, honestly.

The two exwires didn’t dilly dally once they got up and going. They took necessary bathroom trips and ate a snack provided from their bags before they gathered their things. Rin returned Bon’s jacket, and they geared up before heading out. Rin kept Kurikara close to his body over his right shoulder, his mind beginning to worry now that they might have to actually fight this thing.

“Looks like it stopped snowing, winds died down too.” Bon said as he opened up the door, letting the bitter cold slip into the mildly warm cabin.

“Still cold as hell.” Rin scoffed, gripping his upper arms as he felt a chill.

“Ironic.” Bon said with a small smirk as he glanced down to the other, proud of his poor joke. It must’ve gone right over Rin’s head because the shorter male didn’t give a response.

The two of them—and Kuro, who was now trotting behind them—resumed their search for this forest demon once they stepped outside the cabin. They wouldn’t be returning to it after they finished their search. They were permitted to spend one more night in case the weather got too bad, but other than that, if the demon never shows up on their route, they were instructed to return down the mountain and meet up at the Inn.

Rin kept his hands huddled in his hoodie pocket and his hood over most of his head. Bon did the same, the hood protecting their ears and hair from the bitterness of the cold.

“Hey, don’t you think you should have Kurikara out?” Bon asked the other, noticing the demon sword was still neatly kept in the red silk behind Rin’s shoulder. Rin had perked up at the question, caught off guard by it.

“Well, it wouldn’t really help. I mean—not like that, but…” He stuttered, his shoulders tensing up as he cursed under his breath. There was no escaping this conversation any longer. Bon looked at him, eventually his feet came to a stop, and Rin stopped walking as well once he noticed Bon did.

“Okumura, what aren’t you telling me?” Ryuuji asked in such a serious tone, like he was about to scold the younger boy. He looked down at him, brows furrowed over his eyes like he was already getting pissed off. And he probably was, knowing full-well that Bon hated secrets. Rin hasn’t been honest with anyone recently, and no one in his class knows that his powers are cut off.

A heavy sigh left the half-demon’s lips. He officially dug himself a grave.

“I…kinda can’t use it right now. So, it’s useless.” Rin explained briefly, keeping his gaze low and off to the side, refusing to meet Bon’s eyes. Yet, he had a small smile on his lips like he tried to avoid the seriousness of the subject.

The silence after those words prodded at Rin’s nerves. He knew what was coming.

“You… _what?_ What the fuck, Rin!? When the hell were you gonna tell me you can’t use your powers!?”

“It wasn’t your business, okay!? Why would you even care—I know you never liked seeing my flames!” Rin finally looked up at Bon, returning the same tone of voice. The two of them quickly grew frustrated with one another. The only thing different about their bickering from last night was that this was genuine anger.

“I care because that’s how you fight! Without those flames, without _Kurikara,_ you’re practically useless!”

Rin seemed taken aback by what he just heard. A pang of emotional hurt spiked through his chest, and a lump started to form in his throat.

“I’m not fucking useless! I’m not some stupid damsel in distress without my powers! I can still fight. I have my stamina and strength; I have demon features too!” He tried to explain, only to validate himself. He knew he wasn’t much help without the katana, and he hated it. But he wouldn’t just sit back when everyone else got to go out and fight.

“Did what I say to you before mean _nothing_ to you!? The whole 'I wasn’t mad at you just you keeping a secret', did you not understand that? I told you to be open with me! I can’t trust you if you don’t fucking _talk_ to me, man!” Bon stepped forward, bringing his hands to his chest for emphasis. He was clearly upset at Rin's timing and stubbornness, and Rin was starting to shake from being yelled at like this. He seemed to build up a common reaction from being yelled at by Yukio all the time. His heart was starting to pound against his chest, and it was a different adrenaline than the type he was used to during fights with demons. He didn’t like it one bit.

“I didn’t want anyone to know because I’m already a burden as it is! My own brother hates every inch of my being just because I exist, my classmates are afraid of me and I have a group of big-shot assholes breathing down my neck, just waiting for a reason to kill me!” Rin nearly shouted at the top of his lungs, letting everything off his chest with a heavy puff of air at the end. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes, and the bitter cold made it painful to even see through them.

Bon stopped shouting back at the other after hearing everything Rin just spat out. Was that how he was feeling? All that stress and pressure, it had to be emotionally draining. His problems dipped deeper than just being the spawn of Satan. No wonder Rin has been like this. Bon failed to see _everything_ he’s been going through alone.

“I just—” Rin’s arms hugged around his stomach, an empty pain gathering in the center of it, “I just wanted to help. I can carry my own weight whether I have my powers or not.” He said, his voice now raspy after yelling like that.

An uncomfortable silence grew between them as Bon found himself speechless. He was so blindly upset at Rin, and he still was, but he knew he couldn't yell at him after hearing that. He just hated how the half-demon kept it all to himself. He absolutely hated it, how he wouldn’t let anyone in to help him. But after hearing Rin finally let it out, he knew this was his cry for help.

“Okumura, I just want you to talk to me. You wanted me to trust you, so give me _something_ to trust.” Bon said as he took another step closer, but Rin only took a step back, keeping his gaze down once more. Bon could just barely see a tear roll down his cheek from under his jet blue hair. There was another moment of silence that ached through Bon’s chest as well.

“Either way, I’m still pissed. Stop trying to cut yourself off from everyone! I don’t care if you’re the son of Satan, I just want you to believe in _me._ I’m not gonna let you do this alone anymore!”

“Bon—” Rin spoke up, finally looking at the other male after wiping his face. But he didn’t seem like he was focused on the conversation anymore.

“I’m serious, okay? Make a damn effort to talk to me for once, I don’t even care how but—”

“Suguro!”

“What!?” Bon snapped at him, beyond annoyed that Rin stopped listening to his spiel.

“It’s _coming!”_

Bon froze, and suddenly the conversation didn’t seem all too important. He now noticed the worried but serious look on Rin’s face, but he could see that his eyes were still wet. What he hadn’t noticed until Okumura got his attention, was that Kuro was ten times his original size, ready to fight. He was standing to the side next to both of them in a defensive stance, growling lowly into the distance where he couldn’t see anything with his own eyes.

Rin must’ve heard it with his demon hearing, and Kuro with his heightened cat and demon senses. Bon looked up, near the top of the trees, and then he spotted it. He saw the bright green tree with round leaves standing out from the others, and saw it slowly sway side-to-side as he assumed the demon was moving towards them.

“We’ll finish this later. C’mon!” Bon said as he suddenly grabbed Rin’s hand, pulling him along. Rin wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, the glove soaking up the tears so he could see better as he got dragged along. His eyes still burned from the cold air rushing against his face.

“Why the hell are we running _away_ from it!?” Rin questioned, but he held Bon’s hand and ran with him. Kuro followed behind the two, not exactly having to run at his current size.

“We’re just luring it to an open area. Up there!” He motioned to the wide, natural open area with some large rocks in the center up ahead.

“W-Wait, I don’t hear it anymore—” Rin tried to speak up, only hearing their own heavy breathing and footsteps, but no longer the deep rumbling of four large limbs behind them.

_“Look out!”_ Kuro shouted, trying to warn them as he skidded to a stop in the snow. Rin snapped his head in the direction Kuro warned, but he didn’t have enough time to react. Of course, Bon didn’t hear the demon’s voice, so he was clueless.

Rin instantly let go of the other’s hand as he spotted a brown blur barreling towards them. He wasn’t given enough time to warn the other male or act out as what felt like an enormous, heavy arm unmercifully collided with them.

The two exwires were sent flying, the wind being forced from their lungs as they both were slammed into something solid that didn’t budge under their weight. Rin’s thin body slammed against a tree, and he heard the loudest _crack_ from inside his torso as a sharp pain shot through his spine. Bon was sent barreling into a tree about three meters away from Okumura, both boys collapsing into the thick snow with sounds of pain ripping through their throats.

“Nnh, fuck—my ribs…” Rin whined as he rolled onto his side, his arms shakily hugging at his own body. He couldn’t inhale at all for a few seconds, the pain almost unbearable. His eyes were squeezed shut and his legs pulled up to his stomach, knees digging into the snow, finding it almost impossible to breathe for a whole minute. He reached a hand out, grabbing at the snow underneath him and groaning lowly, using every bit of strength to try and move, but the pain from multiple broken ribs was debilitating.

“Okumura!!” Bon shouted from afar, already on his hands and knees and starting to get up. Rin only now realized they lost their backpacks, and he lost his sword at some point after getting hit. He pushed himself up to his knees, an arm sworn tight around his left side that the ribs were broken on. He looked over at Bon, spotting red lines running down his face. It didn’t take long for him to notice the gash on Ryuuji’s forehead, and the blood that was already running down the side of his face, dripping onto the snow.

As Bon made it to his feet he nearly stumbled in his steps, held back by the snow around his boots that was trying to pull him back down. He lifted a hand and grabbed at his head, wincing as he covered the wound with his palm. His vision blurred hard, and he had trouble focusing his sight on anything, but he could vaguely see Okumura in the distance. And he could _also_ see a dark brown gigantic arm-looking thing reaching down to him. His eyes widened and he shouted once more trying to warn the other, his feet suddenly forcing him into a run as he watched the hand grab Okumura’s legs.

Oblivious to the threat until he felt it grab both his legs, Rin looked up at it and panicked, immediately grabbing at the snow in a desperate attempt to crawl away. He let out a small shriek as he was hoisted up into the air by his calves, the ground getting smaller as he was pulled into the air, dangling somewhere around four meters off the ground. He spotted his sword off to the side by Kuro, who was growling at the threat now that he caught up to them.

Rin swung his arms around and reached out towards anything he could, nearly panicking just from being held up so high, and upside down too. He was finally able to see the full demon, and it was nothing short of gigantic. He saw two giant sheep eyes on what appeared to be its head, multiple misshapen horns sprouting out every-which-way from it and large, black and purple spores littering the sides of its arms and back around the base of the kanju tree. Those must be what spat out the muddy acid.

Bon watched Rin get pulled up off the ground right in front of him, and he couldn’t reach him in time before he felt something similar around his own legs.

“Crap! Let go of me!” He shouted defensively, his arms swinging out and around trying to grab at it as he was lifted up as well. The demon was holding the both of them up high, those large eyes and twisted pupils eyeing them separately, as if deciding what to do with them.

“Kuro! Watch out for the spores!” Rin shouted, since him and Bon were helpless in their positions only the familiar who was still on the ground had any chance of making a move. Kuro was the only thing the demon didn’t seem interested in, probably because he was also a demon. Rin proved interesting to it though, since he was still clearly human.

Kuro let out a very feline-like roar of a battle cry which just sounded like an angry house cat as he charged towards the upper level toad-looking demon. He lurched forward and pounced off the rock formation in the center of the area, launching himself up and aiming for its face. He sunk his sharp claws into the thick, muddy but slippery skin along the demon’s face and opened his jaws, baring his fangs before sinking them down into its eye.

It was unnerving to watch, but it seemed to be a decent weak spot, seeing as the creature let out a multiple-voiced shriek, sending all sorts of birds flying out of the trees and towards the sky from all around them.

In its angered defense, the demon’s spores swelled up and suddenly spewed a dark, orange-colored muddy substance that sizzled the very second it landed on anything. Rin and Bon noticed the danger hurling towards them, and they covered their faces and body as best they could with the sleeves of their provided jackets. There was only one problem—since they were still upside down, the jackets hung past the back of their heads and exposed the lower half of their bodies.

The demon happened to let go of both Rin and Bon while it attacked, dropping them straight down from four meters above ground. Bon grit his teeth and braced for impact, his blonde hair blocking part of his vision on his way to the ground. He felt an intense, burning sensation accompanied by a strong sizzling sound litter his exposed forearm and side. It ate straight through his regular clothes, burning a rigid hole past them and into his skin.

Kuro leapt off the demon’s head when he saw it drop the boys. He was already closer to Bon, so he jumped towards that direction, gently catching the back of Ryuuji’s clothes in his jaws before making a sharp directional turn, rushing towards Rin.

Kuro just barely made it in time, catching Rin on his back right at the end of his drop. A pained squeak left Rin’s lips at the impact, even if it was well-cushioned. Kuro set Bon down onto the snow and Rin rolled off Kuro’s back when he laid down, wincing hard as he cradled his side once again.

“Okumura,” Bon called out, scrambling to his feet, “Hey, get up!” He said as he made it to Rin’s side, grabbing his arm and urging him to his feet as well. Rin let out such a pained sound it made Bon stop pulling right away. Rin looked up at Bon’s right arm, noticing the jacket and hoodie sleeves burned away and his skin blistered badly. Blood was running down to his palm and elbow, dripping down into the snow. He didn’t seem too bothered by it, considering he was using his arm. Maybe it was the adrenaline from the fall that blocked the pain.

“Y-You gotta start chanting,” Rin said as he got up on his own, noticing a few burns of his own on his right thigh. His jeans were singed, and his pale skin was red and blistered but not as badly as Bon’s arm.

As the two of them got to their feet, Kuro’s body blocked them from the demon, who was still fretting over the loss of its eye. The injured body part was steaming, presumably healing already, but such a sensitive spot had to have been painful for it. This bought the exwires just enough time to prepare.

“It’s gonna get agitated—” Bon started, worrying more about how they were going to defend themselves while exorcising it, but Rin didn’t let him finish.

“I know! Kuro and I will cover you, so just hurry up!” Okumura said before rushing off in a different direction. Bon looked up at the demon, scoffing out of frustration. He tried not to let his emotions get the better of him and sat down in the snow, pressing his fingers together in a specific monk formation.

Rin grabbed Kurikara from its forgotten place in the snow and pulled it out of the red silk cover, momentarily looking at it with nothing but determination, and worry. He rushed back over to Kuro, his thumb pressed against the handle like he would when he was about to open it, but he already felt the resistance from the demon sword. It wasn’t going to open for him. Not before, not now, and not when he needed it most.

Ryuuji was able to narrow the chapters down to only four, since knowing the most critical features about this demon—from its level to its class, its powers and area that it possessed would tell him where the verse would be. He began chanting, his voice loud and clear as he recited from memory, searching for the fatal verse that seemed to be their only hope in taking this thing down.

Rin hopped onto Kuro’s back, his sheathed sword in one hand and the other gripping at his side supportively. Okumura clutched onto that little bit of hope now that they had the upper hand. They were no longer under the demon’s grip and knew how it could move around.

“If we find its weak spots we can slow it down. But we can’t go after the eyes again, I’m sure it has its guard up!” Rin said to his familiar as Kuro hopped up onto the rock formation once again. Rin lowered himself on Kuro’s back to hold on as the large cat jumped around, dodging a swinging attack from its arm.

“There! The tree on its back!” Rin motioned towards the roots at the base of the trunk, pulsing veins surrounding it.

Kuro nodded in confirmation at the words of the demon he followed. The feline leapt around, jumping off the surrounding trees as he maneuvered through the air, avoiding any attacks from their threat, and landed on its back. Kuro raised a paw and exposed his claws, swiping at the thick veins and cutting them open. They spewed a blackish purple liquid, but it wasn’t like the acid mud. This seemed more like its blood.

The demon let out a shriek similar to before they they attacked its eye, but this time it raised itself up on its back two legs, forcing Kuro and Rin off. Kuro almost didn’t jump off in time, but managed to make a leap for the rock he used before. He almost made the landing until a new threat appeared, and large tree-like branches sprouted from the center of its body. One particularly large one impaled Kuro’s back leg, forcing a cry of pain from the cat’s jaws.

“Kuro!!” Rin shouted out of distress for his familiar. Kuro lost his balance after the loss of control in his back leg and tumbled down off the rock. Rin gasped, falling from Kuro’s back and rolling onto the snow a few feet away. The pain from his broken ribs made itself known again, but this time Rin didn’t lay there in pity for himself. He got up quickly, baring through the pain surging through his bones.

Okumura glanced at Kuro, witnessing blood seeping from his leg and soaking into the snow. He frowned, then grit his teeth. There was nothing he could do for Kuro right now. He looked over at Bon who was still chanting, eyes closed as he focused intent on his words. He had to have been on the last chapter by now.

“Shit!” Rin yelped as he jumped to the side, evading a thinner branch that tried to incapacitate him. Okumura began to run, luring the attacks away from his partner. He used Kurikara to strike any smaller branches that came after him. They snapped under the force of the sheathed weapon and retreated into the center of its mass.

Rin’s nerves tingled as he kept glancing towards Bon, silently begging for the monk to get to the verse. He could only evade and run for so long, and his breathing was starting to slow him down.

As if on cue, the demon suddenly stopped, the damaged tree on its back shedding its bright green leaves. It let out such a destructive screech that made Rin wince and cover his pointed ears. By the looks of it, Bon was close to its fatal verse. Knowing that, the demon shifted its focus on the boy sitting in the snow, and Rin’s heart nearly skipped a beat.

“Hey! Keep your ugly eyes on me!” Rin shouted as he sprinted towards Bon, gripping Kurikara so tight his knuckles were practically white. His feet kicked up snow behind himself, and he slid to a stop in front of his friend at the exact moment the demon ejected multiple branch-like spikes.

Rin spread his legs and dug his toes into the snow to stand his ground as his hands grabbed Kurikara in such a way where he was about to draw it. His gloved palms gripped at either side so desperately as he tried to force it open, all when he felt something impale his stomach, and red blotches splattered onto the white snow behind him, a mere few inches right in front of Bon.

Bon opened his eyes at the wrong time, witnessing the very second when the demon pierced Rin’s middle with a spike. He stopped his chant as his focus broke, and disbelief filled his eyes. Dark red blood unsteadily trickled down onto snow underneath Rin, and Bon’s eyes widened at the gruesome sight. There was a deafening silence around them, and all Bon could hear was the sound of metal clattering against itself as Rin’s hands trembled badly against his unwilling sword. The sound appeared to be coming from the sheath rattling against the blade, some unknown force keeping it in place.

Rin made an unnerving sound as he spat out the blood that forced itself up his throat. It splattered onto the snow adding to the rest of it from his mid-section, and he lowered the useless demon sword to his side, putting a palm on the thick spike that was imbedded in his stomach.

“F..Finish the v-verse…” he muttered, struggling to talk or breathe with the blood that pooled in his mouth, trickling down his lips.

Bon could barely process what just happened, but he didn’t waste another precious second before reconnecting his fingertips and finishing the verse. The last few words left his mouth in a determined shout. As soon as the words came to an end, the demon retracted all its spikes and bellowed in defeat, its entire body disintegrating before their eyes.

Rin fell to his knees with a soft _thud,_ his weight padded by the snow underneath. He dropped Kurikara and brought his hands to his stomach, pressing his cold, purplish fingertips into the gaping wound, feeling the uncomfortably warm blood gush against his gloved palms and between his digits. He looked down at his hands once more, his pale skin doused in red.

“Crap, I m-messed up…” he said out loud before collapsing onto his side.

Bon looked up at his partner, watching him collapse a mere few feet in front of him. He almost couldn’t move from the shock of watching everything unfold, but he managed to get himself up off his numb knees after what felt like a few, long seconds.

“RIN—!” He shouted, his panicked voice ripping through his vocal cords. He purposely fell to his knees beside his friend, his own trembling hands grabbing Rin’s shoulder, pulling him to his back so he could look over him. Rin laid there in the snow, now looking up at Bon with squinted eyes. His breathing was shallow and broken up, clearly caused by the pain. 

“Move your hands, let me see—” Bon urged as he nudged Rin’s wrists. Reluctantly, Okumura obliged and pulled his hands up, his chest moving rapidly to match his unsteady breathing. Bon anxiously looked over the male’s body, not able to see much through his clothing. He grabbed the lower half of Rin’s hoodie and shirt, pulling them up to expose his pale skin underneath. Rin let out a whine of protest as the cold reached his sensitive skin. Bon was careful not to actually touch the area as he looked it over, seeing the gaping wound off-centered in his stomach, the injury itself about four inches in diameter.

“I-It’s not…” Bon stuttered as he stared at the gaping wound, “Rin, why isn’t it healing?” He frantically looked at Rin’s face, those blue eyes squeezed shut as he focused on his breathing, which seemed to be a struggle with the amount of blood in the back of his throat. He slowly opened his eyes again, his dilated pupils trying to focus on his friend above him.

“Yeah, ab-bout that…” He mumbled, his chest suddenly jerking up as he nearly choked on his own blood. Bon watched the red liquid sputter from his lips and race down the side of his mouth. Rin instinctively dropped his hands back down over the wound after he coughed, starting to wheeze as it steadily became harder to breathe. Blood began to pool out from under him, soaking into the snow at his sides. He was losing blood quickly, and Bon could barely hold himself back from panicking. He struggled with trying to keep his head clear so he could help the smaller male stay alive.

Ryuuji pressed his own palms down into the covered wound over Rin’s hands, causing Okumura to cry out in agony at the new, unwelcomed pressure. He clenched his jaw, feeling guilty but they had to keep pressure on it to slow the bleeding. His mind raced, his vision feeling like it was closing in from the number of thoughts rushing through his head, making him dizzy.

“Keep your hands there, don’t stop pushing down.” Bon encouraged before he stood up, stumbling as he hurried over to one of the nearest forgotten backpacks. His eyes momentarily loomed over his hands which were now coated in Rin’s blood. He yanked the backpack open and dug through it, ripping out an extra shirt and a box to get to the flare gun. His fingertips tingled with numbness as he fumbled with the piece of plastic. He held it up straight into the sky and pulled the trigger without hesitation, watching the bright red firework of a flare boom into the sky, every surface turning bright red for a few long seconds. The flare sparkled and twinkled against the thin layer of clouds up high, leaving a smoke trail right above them. Hopefully someone would see it.

Before heading back over to Rin, he grabbed the spare shirt from the bag then made his way back and kneeled down again. He lifted Rin’s hands and pressed the shirt down, letting Rin push his palms against it after making a weak whine. He panted softly, his worried eyes watching over Rin’s face. His expression was twisted in pain, brows furrowed down and the skin on his nose scrunched up in discomfort. His mouth was open since he struggled to breathe, and Bon could just barely see his fangs peeking out from under his dry, reddened lips.

Keeping one of his own hands pressed down on top of Rin’s, Bon used his other hand to cup Okumura’s cheek. His face was much warmer than his palm.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay, someone’s gonna find us.” Bon said, attempting to reassure the both of them. Rin opened his eyes a little, the bright blue irises focusing on the two-toned hair above him. He managed the slightest smile past his red-stained lips.

“I-I’m not worried,” he stuttered, bringing one of his hands up to grab Bon’s wrist gently—while carefully avoiding the burn on it—and slipped his cold, bloodied fingers over the larger male’s hand. “I’ve got y-you here…” He said softly, trying to be a little cheesy but a small quiver of his lips ruined it.

Bon’s expression twisted, his eyes squinted and he gnawed at his lip, feeling his vision begin to blur as the cold nipped at the new tears threatening to spill. He couldn't believe Rin was still trying to be cheeky in a moment like this. He forced his gaze away, starting to move around.

“I promise I won’t leave your side.” He swore as he pulled his hands away from Rin only to slip them underneath his shoulders and scoop under his knees, starting to lift the lightweight off the ground.

“B-Bon— _ngh, ahh_!” Rin cried out, excruciating pain jolting through his small body as he was lifted off the ground. He tensed up and clenched his hands around the shirt on his stomach, squeezing his eyes shut once more before leaning his head into Bon’s bicep. He panted quietly; a wet wheeze barely audible in his breath from the internal bleeding that forced its way up his throat again. The large pool of blood that stained the snow was fully visible now, and the entire back of Rin’s clothes were soaked in an unnerving burgundy color.

Bon winced a little himself, the back of Rin’s calves rubbing against the exposed burn on his arm from that demon’s acidic mud. He refused to acknowledge the pain, convincing himself that Rin was his one and _only_ priority right now. He glanced to the side before he started to move, seeing a black creature limping over towards them.

_“Mrrow…”_ Kuro mewled lowly to them, his back leg flaunting a similar injury to Rin’s stomach. He was a little smaller than before, but still not the size of a regular cat. He held Kurikara in his semi-large jaws, looking right back at Bon. Without being able to talk to demons or read a cat’s mind, Bon could still tell Kuro was worried for the half-demon cradled in his arms.

_“Rin…”_ Kuro called out through his high-pitched demon voice, but Rin didn’t even stir in the larger male’s arms. It seemed as if he didn’t have the energy to even acknowledge the feline’s worried tone.

Uncontrolled thoughts raced through Bon’s mind. He couldn’t focus on any one idea and his head felt like it was spinning. His breathing was almost as unsteady as Rin’s. The cold air around them, the adrenaline from the events that just took place, and the pain that he was beginning to feel from his own injuries as the shock started to wear off affected him heavily.

The boy’s head was cleared momentarily after he felt a sort of horn nudge the back of his shoulder. He glanced at Kuro, his grip clenching around Rin as he was refocused on his objective. Ryuuji could hear Rin’s unstable breathing and felt how hard his smaller body trembled in his arms. He held him close and finally started walking, headed back towards their cabin in the direction of the Inn.

Waiting around for help to arrive was no option. Bon was no doctor; he barely knew first aid and the small amount of supplies they were given wouldn’t do much for Rin’s condition. Besides, Bon was in no rightful headspace to help on a medical standpoint, and his own rickety hands were proof of that. He found their only option being to travel back down the mountain in hopes they’d run into someone. Hopefully in time before Rin lost too much blood or Bon passed out from pushing himself.

If anyone were to approach them from the opposite direction, they’d have no trouble finding the injured duo with the trail of blood Rin was leaving behind them. That spike had gone all the way through his middle, leaving a hole in his backside as well.

Okumura seemed unresponsive after only minutes of walking. His head rested on Bon’s chest and legs dangled over Bon’s other arm. His hands remained over his wounded center, and the shirt Ryuuji gave him to slow the bleeding was already soaked in red.

“Rin…” Bon whispered through his rigid breathing, “Hang in there.”


	6. Uncertain Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shima and Shiemi find Rin and Bon from the flare, but they might not get enough help in time for Rin to make it.

“Bon! Bon, is that you!?” A familiar voice called out from afar. Ryuuji almost didn’t hear it over his own labored breathing and heartbeat pounding against his eardrums. His wounded right arm was shaking pretty bad, starting to prove difficult to carry Rin as lightweight as he was.

“Oh my gosh, Rin!” A different voice called out soon after, this one _much_ higher pitched. She must’ve noticed the unconscious half-demon in Ryuuji’s arms.

Bon finally processed the voices calling out to him and stopped walking, starting to see blonde and pink hair as Shima and Shiemi hurried up the hill towards them.

“Shima, Moriyama…?” He called out in a hushed voice of his own, a sense of relief washing over him. Kuro had looked towards the voices as well, stopping right behind Bon and sitting down to take the pressure off his back leg.

“Are you guys okay!? We saw the flare!” Shima said, his breath dissipating as little white clouds. They were out of breath too, both of them. Shima quickly noticed how messed up Bon looked, and it was a little scary since he couldn’t recognize the emotion on his best friend’s face. He could just barely make out his watery eyes from under the mess of his two-toned hair.

Shima had glanced down towards Rin after hearing a gasp fall from Shiemi’s lips; she must’ve noticed it too. Blood trickling into the snow right under them, from two different places—Rin’s back, and Bon’s arm. Ryuuji was visibly shaking on his right side, it was almost excruciating holding Rin with his injured arm at this point since he was flaunting borderline third degree burns on it.

“R-Rin, what happened?” Shiemi said ever so softly as she stepped closer.

“He’s not healing. Please Moriyama, do something!” Bon said to her, his last two words almost a desperate shout. His eyes were wide, and she could see the tears under his hair now.

“Of course!” She said in a determined, yet clearly scared tone as she stepped back, allowing Bon to kneel and gently set Rin down in the snow. Okumura was completely unconscious, his arms falling limp to his sides once his back met the ground.

“Bon, your arm…” Shiemi pointed out now that it was visible and not hidden under Rin’s legs.

“Don’t worry about me just help Okumura—”

“No! Sit down!” She demanded and grabbed Bon’s hand before he could stand again. The look on his face was almost out of shock that his shy classmate was being so stern, but he understood why. Shiemi would never let anyone who was hurt leave her sight. She’d even help Kuro after the two boys were taken care of.

Bon stubbornly remained on his knees, nodding as Shiemi let go. Nii popped up from the top of her backpack and onto her shoulder, then gave a little squeal like a small greeting.

Shiemi removed the soaked shirt from Rin’s center and pulled up his clothes to get a look at his wound. Her expression twisted with worry, and Bon noticed. He had all his faith for Rin’s wellbeing in Shiemi’s hands right now. He had to trust her.

“Nii, cotton and pressure for Rin please.” She asked, and the friendly demon obliged. The greenman increased his size before bushy, white cotton sprouts bloomed from his body. He detached it from himself and pressed it into Rin’s center, the plant absorbing the remaining blood seeping out from his middle, then he sat on top of it carefully, adding the pressure to it.

“Nii, could I please have some aloe too?” She requested, and the little greenman supplied. The plant sprouted from the center of his now not-so-little body. She pulled it from his center then pulled her backpack off, pulling out a box from the middle of it with a large red medical symbol on it. It was typical of her to bring along dire medical supplies since she was doubling as a doctor now, as well as a tamer.

Bon held his arm close to his chest, his eyes looking back and forth between Shiemi and her demon, but also Rin. He found himself staring at his friend’s face, a sinking feeling in his chest only getting worse. His own body ached all over, and his mind wandered as he tried not to focus on his own pains.

Ryuuji recalled a few memories from last night. He remembered the playful argument he shared with Okumura, and the events that followed. He tilted his head down, a small shadow covering over his eyes from his hair. He stared at Rin’s limp arm, eyeing over his bloodied, gloved hand in front of his knees. He remembered feeling those warm hands on his chest and on the back of his neck, even those slim fingers in his hair. It was a short moment that felt like forever.

Slowly, Bon reached down and grabbed Rin’s cold hand, holding it between his own and squeezing gently. They hadn’t said anything to each other last night. He never told Rin how he felt. Instead, he made a half joke, worrying about what Shima and Konekomura would’ve thought of him. He regretted that now. He should’ve said something, anything. Cheesy or romantic, it didn’t matter. He should’ve _confessed._

He rubbed his thumb over the top of Rin’s still hand, his chest aching more than the burn on his arm. He closed his eyes and remembered each kiss they shared, the closeness of their bodies, and waking up just a few hours ago with Rin laying on him. He also remembered the last words they shared before they faced the demon, and how it was a real argument. He grit his teeth at the thought. He yelled at Rin, he remembered seeing him cry right in front of him. He didn’t want that to be their last memory together before Rin sacrificed himself. Worst of all, he did it to protect Bon, just like he said he would…

Shima had seen Bon grab Rin’s hand from the side. His brows caved into a sad expression, and he wondered what happened between them over the past day. Despite what Shima didn’t know, he could tell in the very least Bon had some different feelings for their half-demon classmate.

Shiemi split the aloe plant apart to access the slimy substance from the inside. She draped a couple pieces over Rin’s thigh where he had his own second degree burn, then pulled some more for Bon. She put her hand out for her classmate. Ryuuji looked up from his daydreaming and stared at her small hand before silently giving her his right arm. She cradled it carefully, delicately draping the aloe leaves over his bloody blisters, earning a pained sound from Bon. He flinched pretty hard, but Shiemi didn’t let him pull away.

“I know it hurts, I’m sorry, but it’ll feel better soon.” She reassured the older boy. Once his burn was coated in the herb’s contents and covered by the thick leaves, she opened the box by her thigh and pulled out a roll of gauze, beginning to wrap the leaves and his arm with it, holding them in place. It would slide off easily if Bon moved at all, so she secured the plant in place at a comfortable pressure. Bon eventually felt a soothing, cool sensation set in around the blisters and blotched skin, a little relief from the sharp stinging pain he’s been enduring. His left hand was still holding Rin’s, and Shiemi never even noticed.

She treated the gash on his head too, pushing his messy hair off to the side so she could access it. Bon closed his eyes and squeezed Rin’s hand softly. Whatever disinfectant she used stung, but he held it together. She covered the small wound with a patch of gauze, able to keep it on with surgical tape before his hair covered his forehead again.

When Shiemi looked down towards Rin again, she noticed small shiny pieces of broken glass that had fallen out of Rin’s front pocket. She looked at it closer when she finished treating Bon and pulled open the pocket. A small, green clover fell out, its leaves torn and small pieces of glass falling into the snow, along with a piece of cork. After further inspection, she could tell it was the charm she gave Rin on the plane here. She frowned at the sight, knowing that was a bad omen.

“Hey, Moriyama. Kuro took a hit too…” He said softly, his voice sounding tired.

Shima was kneeling besides Kuro who had gone back to his original cat size. He gently stroked his back to comfort the feline. When the pink-haired boy heard Bon mention him, he carefully picked Kuro up and brought him over to Shiemi, placing him down by Rin’s shoulder. Since Kuro was a demon his wound was mostly healed by now, but he still seemed bothered by it. And seeing as Kuro is part of their squad and Rin’s friend, she’d gladly help, even if it was just to comfort the creature.

She nodded with a soft smile and pulled out a new roll of gauze, carefully looking over the small wound on Kuro’s back leg, lifting his paw and beginning to wrap it. It wasn’t bleeding anymore but the gauze soaked up any blood left on the fur around it.

Once Moriyama finished, she tucked the gauze into itself and earned a thankful _mroow_ from Kuro himself. He squirmed a little and readjusted his position, now resting his head on Rin’s shoulder as his small body laid in the snow.

Now there was silence between the three of them.

They were all looking at Rin, the expressions they held were relatively the same. Rin was still breathing, but slower and softer. It was still loud between the silence, and his mouth was slightly open.

“Should we carry him back to the Inn? I don’t think anyone else is coming.” Shima said, finally breaking that silence. He had a point. He and Shiemi had their route next to Rin and Bon, which is why they showed up so quick. But the other exorcists, they didn’t know where they were.

“Yeah, we’re sitting ducks if we stay here.” Bon nodded to his friend. Shiemi looked between the both of them as she pulled off her long, pastel pink scarf in similar pattern to her old kimono. She folded it over once and motioned for Nii to hop off. He did as instructed, and got off Rin, taking the blob of used cotton with him. The bleeding slowed by a lot, hopefully now Rin was stable. She gently pulled Rin up on his side and wrapped the cloth around his stomach with his clothes covering the wound again and pulled it under him then on top, tying it into a tight bow on his side opposite of the wound. Red slowly bled through the pink but it was steady and didn’t soak all the way through.

“He should be okay for now, but we still need to—” Shiemi paused her words as all three of them heard a sound off in the trees.

“Uh, what was that?” Shima commented before they turned their heads in the other direction, hearing it again. The silence made their heartbeats quicken. Bon let go of Rin’s hand and slowly stood up, grabbing Kurikara. Kuro had perked up at the sound, but he was still at Rin’s side, refusing to leave it yet.

They could hear a sort of demon chatter from the trees around them, when suddenly a small creature jumped out towards Shima.

“AH!” He shrieked and jumped to the side, stumbling right into Bon who annoyingly caught his friend’s balance. They all looked at the small demon before them. It was half their size and more of a gremlin, it almost looked like the demon Ukobach in Rin and Yukio’s dorm kitchen. Except, these guys had long frizzy tails and giant ears, as well as glowing eyes and large teeth showing through an open mouth as it growled. It wasn’t very intimidating considering the size, but it was still posing a threat.

“What the heck is that!?” Shima yelled, stepping behind Bon. He seemed pretty intimidated by the small thing, which was typical since he didn’t like small dogs either.

“It’s an imp. We’re in their territory so they’re _probably_ going to attack us.” Bon explained calmly, despite his two classmates stricken with a new fear.

_“Probably?”_ Shima repeated since Bon put a certain emphasis on that word. He tensed up as he looked at the small demon again, watching it come closer towards them. He whipped his head around as he heard another one jump down onto the snow behind them from a tree.

Kuro finally got up from Rin’s side, scurrying over and in a large puff of smoke, turned into his larger form once again. Oddly enough, the gauze changed size with him, staying wrapped around his leg. He looked down at the multiple imps, hissing at them defensively. Bon nudged Shima to step to the side over towards the other two to get out of Kuro’s way.

“Nii, can you carry Rin please?” Shiemi asked softly and cupped her hands together as she pleaded her small greenman. Nii gave her that same willing cheer before he jumped off her thigh and hurried to the side, doing the exact same thing Kuro just did. Shiemi smiled and stood up, stepping to the side so Nii could carefully pick up Rin. He managed to hold Okumura easily despite having little stubby plant arms. The smaller boy was cradled in the demon’s arms now under Nii’s protection.

“C’mon, if we stay here more will show up!” Bon encouraged the others, grunting as he almost didn’t dodge in time as one of the imps pounced at him. He looked down at it, feeling a wave of exhaustion as what was left of his adrenaline tried to help him move.

Shiemi grabbed her backpack and slipped it on before starting to run. Nii was right beside her carrying Rin, and the two boys followed when they had the chance—since Kuro was distracting the little demons.

“Shouldn’t the others be here already? I mean—” Shima huffed between his words, “You think Konkekomaru and Izumi needed help?” She looked towards Bon, a little glint of worry in his eyes since his friend already seemed tired and out of breath. Bon was pushing himself.

“I don’t know, we just gotta make it down the mountain.” Bon replied, his eyes forward and watching Shiemi and Nii, unable to see anything other than Rin’s legs from where he was.

Kuro caught up to them eventually. He looked pissed, but the little imps weren’t around them anymore. They seemed to have fallen back—perhaps Kuro injured some.

After running for what felt like a while, Nii cried out to his master worriedly, getting Shiemi’s attention right away.

“Nii? What’s wrong?” She said, panting softly as she eventually stopped running since Nii appeared to. He urged his arms forward, motioning down to Rin. Shiemi stepped closer and looked him over.

Shima and Bon came to a stop, their pants covered in snow from running through it. They looked at each other, the silence from the female and her familiar was unsettling.

“Rin! Hey—Rin, _wake up!”_ She urged, her tone suddenly full of panic. She cupped his face, but Okumura wasn’t coming to. He’s been unconscious for almost half an hour now. The color had faded from his face, his fingertips and lips were a light shade of unhealthy purple.

Bon’s heart skipped a beat after hearing Shiemi shout like that. He stepped over to her side and looked over his friend, seeing her fret.

“Moriyama, is he—”

“He’s not breathing!” She immediately cut Bon off before he finished, looking up at him. He could see the panic in her eyes, and it felt like his own heart stopped.

Shima stood in front of them, looking over Rin and his two friends. He was worried too, and his heart was still racing from running just a moment ago. He didn’t know what to do or say, so he stayed silent and out of their way.

Bon stared down at Rin. He was frozen where he was, he couldn’t make himself move. His chest felt like it was tight, and breathing wasn’t easy. He couldn’t even bring himself to say anything.

Nii lowered Okumura to the snowy ground once again, his body completely limp and lifeless. The greenman shrunk into his original pocket size and hopped to the side. Shiemi kneeled before him and did the only thing she could do other than fret—begin CPR. Her own breathing was rigid, and her frail hands were cold and shaking, but she tried her best with her abilities as a doctor-in-training to bring Rin back.

“He’s lost too much blood! I-I don’t have any adrenaline!” She said out loud but remained focused on trying to get her friend’s heart to beat again. With the amount of blood he’s lost, CPR wouldn’t be enough.

_“Okumura, hey…”_ Bon whispered, _“Wake up…!”_ He tried to shout but his voice refused to go any higher than a choked whisper. His knees buckled and he ended up falling onto his calves in the snow, not pulling his eyes off his unresponsive partner.

“G-Guys, we have another problem…” Shima cowardly called out to the others, not wanting to make things worse but he was afraid of both situations. Kuro was growling and hissing at the threat that returned. The imps were back, there were four now, approaching the small group. They looked angry, and slightly bigger now. Trees rustled from above them, and there were even more. They were practically surrounded.

Shima looked down at Rin on the ground with Shiemi beside him, pushing her weight through her arms rhythmically against his chest, and at Bon who was on his knees, eyes wide and expression terrified as he watched. He glanced over at Kuro beside himself who was standing guard against the imps, who all seemed ready to attack. The pink-haired boy clenched his fists, feeling his arms tremble, and it wasn’t from the cold. He took a step back behind Kuro, feeling like he was the most useless in the whole group.

_Bang! …Bang!_

Shima flinched, and the other two snapped their heads in the direction of loud gunshots. The imps seemed to disintegrate as they were shot with holy bullets. Some charged towards the source, others began to scurry off. Before Shima could tell who shot the pistol, he saw red and yellow hair appear in front of him, and suddenly Shura was here, slashing through one of the imps with her demon sword. With wide yet relieved eyes, Shima stumbled back and left the fighting to her as he noticed Yukio behind them with his two pistols out, shooting at a couple more of the little demons.

“Bon, hey—you okay!?” Shima asked as he pressed a hand down into his shoulder, getting his friend to come back to reality. Bon didn’t say anything, but he looked at the other in a bit of a shock.

“Yukio! I need your help!” Shiemi cried out, eventually stopping the compressions. Yukio looked down at the blonde, spotting his brother in the snow right in front of her. He didn’t see much behind Shiemi’s body, but based on a first glance, it didn’t look good. His stern expression melted into concern as he made his way over and kneeled down. Shiemi explained what she could but her words were in a panicked jumble. Yukio looked over his brother before he opened up his own bag, and as a higher trained doctor, he pulled out what he had which was the one thing Shiemi needed: an adrenaline shot.

“Rin, he…” Bon muttered, his thoughts jumbled from everything that’s happened. He was clearly worried, and the stress wasn’t helping his own condition. Shima reassured him and helped him back up to his feet, letting the older male lean into him so he can at least stay up.

Shura sheathed her sword back into the seal on her chest as she watched the last two imps flee the area. She gathered herself now that there was no demon threat and turned towards the group to offer any help.

Yukio popped open the cap from the large shot, exposing the thick syringe at the tip. He pulled Rin’s clothes up to expose his chest and raised his arm, jabbing the needle down into the right side of his chest, making sure the needle made it into the walls of his heart. There was a long few seconds of silence, where everyone could hear their own hearts pounding, but not Rin’s.

A sudden, dramatic gasp for air broke the silence as Rin came back. His back was arched up off the ground, hands grasping at the ground and his mouth wide open as he struggled to fill his lungs. His breathing was loud and unsteady, but he was alive, and his heart was beating once more. His expression twisted with pain and a broken groan left his lips. His eyes were squeezed shut and he seemed to be in quite a bit of pain, as if breathing hurt. It probably did, considering he was dead just a few minutes ago.

Yukio discarded the used adrenaline and recovered Rin’s torso so the cold didn’t complicate things. Once Rin settled down, he cupped his face and raised his eyelids to see his pupils, just to get an idea of the state he was in. He didn’t seem all to worried on the outside, especially considering this was his own brother he was treating.

“Rin!” Bon shouted after seeing him move again. He attempted to step forward to do something stupid like smother the half-demon, but Shima held him back.

“Bon, wait! Give him some space, man!” He said, pressing a hand into Bon’s chest.

Shura eyed over Rin’s face and his wounds, as well as Bon’s, observing their conditions to get an idea of what exactly happened. She put together the pieces based on their injuries being similar, and assumed they took down their targeted upper-level demon.

“We need to get him first aid, he’s only going to be stable for about fifteen minutes before the adrenaline wears off.” Yukio explained, and Shiemi nodded her head as she stood up, ready to help in any way. Yukio’s worry had melted off his face, and behind those glasses was a stern, cold expression again. He even ignored Bon’s reaction.

“Kuro, can you run? We’ll need to get Rin to the hospital.” Shura asked the demon familiar in a hushed tone. The giant cat, still in his large form as if he was going to fight, gave the woman a mewl of confidence. She took that as a yes.

Yukio carefully scooped his older brother off the ground, not having the easiest time carrying someone the same size as himself. Shiemi was unable and Bon was in no shape. He didn’t bother to ask Shima.

“Yukio, up here.” Shura said from on top of Kuro’s back. Kuro was laying down at the moment, making it easier for them. Okumura gently switched with Shura, placing Rin into her arms. Rin was in a state like he was before—unresponsive but breathing, and alive.

“I’m taking him to the hospital, the doctor exorcists won’t be much help for him at the Inn.”

“You can’t, there isn’t anyone there who knows what he is!”

“I don’t give a rats ass! _Look_ at him, Yukio! Unless you _want_ him to die again, I’m taking him to the damn hospital!”

Yukio scoffed, but he didn’t seem to have anything to say in response. Shura narrowed her eyes, visible tension between the two exorcists.

“I’ll have the others send a van your way so you can meet us there. Make sure everyone else gets first aid.” She ordered, nudging Kuro.

“Wait! Miss Kirigakure, let me come with!” Bon spurted out as he pushed away from Shima and towards Kuro. Shura looked down at the boy, ready to turn him down.

_“Please!”_ Bon pleaded, looking straight up at her. He wasn’t going to let her say no.

After a short pause to think and look over Bon’s injuries, she sighed.

“Get on. You need to be treated too.” She said, even though she knew damn well Bon just wanted to stay with Rin. She knew there was something behind those two from the beginning.

As Bon carefully made his way onto Kuro’s back while minimizing the use of his arm, he nodded towards the exorcist that he was ready. Shura shifted a little, holding Rin tighter and closer to her chest for safety as Kuro stood up, and began to run down the rest of the mountain. They weren’t too far from the Inn now, but the hospital was further in the island, about two miles from where they were staying.

Bon held onto Kuro with his legs and pressed his palms into the black fur. He’s been fighting to keep his vision clear, but it kept blurring out here and there. He shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to let himself overthink now that they were getting help. He glanced over Shura’s shoulder, seeing very little of Rin from behind her. His mind eventually calmed down, the wind pushing his hair out of his face. He no longer worried about demons trying to kill them or whether or not they would make it off the mountain.

Now, the only thing he had on his mind was _Rin_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end is near! I'm not sure how I'm going to end this story but I expect only one or two more chapters.


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